Winning The Love Of The Handsome Skater
by Dark Hope Assassin
Summary: [COMPLETE!]Vegeta is an individual used to being the centre of attention. However, none of the girls fighting over him spark his interest. Will his attitude change knowing that the billion dollar heiress Bulma Briefs is also one of his pursuers?
1. Ch01: Prologue

**Winning the Love Of The Handsome Skater**

_by Dark Hope Assassin_

_Chapter One: Prologue_

* * *

The girl pushed her way out of the covers to slam her fist with malign over the annoying alarm clock on the bedstand by her queen-sized bed before it could do any more damage to her sensitive ears than it already had. She growled and bared her white teeth at it as if it could possibly see her. She hated that alarm clock and one of those days it was _really_ going to get it.

Usually the young woman was a morning person. She liked the birds' songs, the sunshine and everything that went with late summer. But this particular day was different.

Just last night she had come back from a trip to the Bahamas, the picture of the most perfect vacation you can have and she had to leave earlier…because she had school today. This was exactly the part which made her grumpier and got her to kick her covers with a surprising malice, probably a futile try to appease some of her anger.

Oh, today was going to be the day. And by the look her reflection gave her from the mirror in her private bathroom, she knew it was going to be a _long_ day too. Her hair was all in knots, she had a drool hanging 'sexily' over the corner of her mouth and one of her eyes was half-closed with no prospects of completely opening in the next half an hour—picture perfect for the start of a new school year; yeah right…

Giving an exhausted sigh she grabbed her toothbrush in defeat and began brushing it lazily over her teeth that seemed not to need any rising at all, being as blindingly white as they were. When she was done with the morning ritual, she continued with picking something to wear.

She sincerely could care less what she took actually. She was the most famous girl in school as it was, not to mention the richest student to have ever walked that Earth. A smirk spread over her face as she threw the hanger with her navy baggy pants and then another followed it with her loose sky-blue tank top.

Completely dressed with her old back pack in hand (she noted to herself that she needed a change in that area as the poor thing was way too worn for her liking), she dropped herself onto the table and began smearing some butter onto a slice of baked bread when her blonde mother entered the kitchen, as giddy as ever.

"Bulma, dear, you're going to be late for school if you keep that up," the woman informed her as she continued to the stove to cook some breakfast for her beloved husband.

The lavender-colour haired girl glanced at the clock on the wall behind her with the slice in her mouth as she was taking a bite, instantly choking on it upon what she read on the clock. Seven thirty. She was supposed to be at school ten minutes ago. This was Bad. Really Bad.

She grabbed her things and got ready to smear another slice with the wonderful butter as she was dying in hunger, when she remembered. ChiChi was waiting for her. There couldn't be worse than that.

Taking the ready piece of bread in her hand she yelled to her mother a "Bye, Mum!" from the front door as she raced time down the street, giving it her best.

At least they could say that she had given it her best try when she was brutally slaughtered by her best friend, who hated it with a passion when she was late.

* * *

"Bulma Briefs! You are in serious trouble, missy! Just wait until my hands take a hold on your precious little neck and snap it in half!" ChiChi's voice threatened over the girl's cell phone. The other girl grinned apologetically in the receiver as if her friend could see her expression.

"I'm really, really sorry, Chi. I must… Hang… Up… Hey! I see you!" She yelled as she caught sigh of her two best friends in the whole world and hung up the phone as she no longer needed it.

"What? What was that! Hey! Wha—Why did she hang up on me?" The young raven haired woman shrieked at her blonde friend at her side as another girl approached them slowly.

"Hey, girls, what's up?" she asked sweetly in her high-pitched voice. The two exchanged looks and then, when they were about to say something witty, a male brushed past them, almost falling to the ground from an indiscernible object as he stopped a foot or two away from them.

"Chi! I'm here!" Another voice called as Bulma approached her group of friends that was slowly gathering up at the front gate of the school they have been together in for what seemed like a lifetime.

The lavender-haired girl almost had no time to register the fact that something crossed her path and stopped right where she intended to, and thus she almost, _almost_, managed to fall back on her behind for all her 'glorious arrival' was worth.

She was surprised that it was an unknown male that had cut her path. He had flipped his board over in the air and gathered it right before he landed swiftly on his two feet, standing tall in all his glory. Oh, and it was, _indeed_, glory, though he wasn't exactly what you could call tall. Yet that she would get to find out later, as he had his back to her at the moment.

"That wasn't fair! You cheated! You occupied all the space and I couldn't stop! You don't play fair!" Goku whined childishly, making the other teen snort sarcastically and place the board on his right shoulder with a jeer.

"I don't need to cheat to beat your ass, Kakarott. Just tell me when you need to be reminded of your place and I'd love to help you to it." The arrogant boy snickered after his statement, not aware of the fact someone was approaching him and the whole company from behind.

"How dare you talk to my baby like that? He happens to be one of the first-class skaters in town, you miserable little prick!" ChiChi's temper instantly flared, making the new boy glare intensely at her.

"What's this sound? Did I just hear a dog barking?" His leer turned towards ChiChi in a moment's worth, his biting sarcasm obviously not to the brunette's taste at all. "No, no, I believe it was the sound of me _not caring_. Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"

By the time, he had the chance to check out all three girls present. He quickly dismissed the blue haired ditz of a tramp without as much as a second glance. The one that seemed to catch his eye more was the blonde. She seemed just like his type… She kind of reminded him of—

"Do you guys remember me telling you about my long-time buddy, Vegeta?" Everyone nodded their affirmation and saw no point in the conversation at all. Unless… "Well, guys, this is Vegeta. Vegeta Ouji."

Maron was the first to gasp out loud and to start squealing and behaving like a three year-old that just received the present they wanted from Santa under the Christmas tree. It was truly incredible, but it wasn't _that_ hard to believe, knowing what people went to their school as well…

The blonde was second to let her mouth hang open for only a second, before she regained her composure and put the emotionless act back up.

"So, you are—"

Before she had the chance to finish she noticed Bulma approaching them from behind having an extremely pissed off look on her face as she was being ignored for quite some time now. A smirk crossed the light-head's features.

"Hey, B, what took you so long? I thought you saw us a minute ago."

The new, as well as everyone else present, turned their attention to the approaching girl. She could be considered storming over as her shoes tapped angrily against the concrete ground.

"What is with the commotion around here? Did I forget someone's birthday or something?" She laughed good-naturedly, her previous anger forgotten.

"Bulma, this is Vegeta, my best friend. Vegeta, this is Bulma, my best female friend," Goku introduced with a beaming grin gracing his handsome features.

The newcomer turned around to face her with his right hand holding his board securely over his broad right shoulder, as if it meant the life to him. As a skater she could guess that—in a way—it did.

She finally got the chance to look at him fully. It could be said she liked what she saw.

What caught one's attention when first seeing him was his strange hairdo, that somewhat resembled her best friend's, Goku's. Yet his stood upwards in the air, as the vicious burning flames of the fire. Both his hair and deep absorbing orbs were onyx of colour. He had a well-built body for guys only to envy and dream for and for girls to drool over and adore.

To complete the picture he was dressed just the way she would like her own boyfriend to. He had loose black jeans, yet not baggy enough to be in the way of his, hm, 'stunts' as she liked to call them and a loose white shirt that contrasted completely with his whole appearance. Just the perfect way to complete his radiance. Yes, it was nothing special, but she guessed that anything would look great on him.

Bulma Briefs was the richest woman there was and could ever be. She was also the second smartest person in the whole wide world, after her father, Doctor Briefs, founder of Capsule Corporation, the company which made people's lives far easier and was still at it, breeding new technologies day after day. Being the controversial person that she was, the girl was sick of the snobby rich people that seemed to be magnetized by her. She liked the people that acted around her as they always did. They were true, they were sincere, they were simple and that was what she loved most about them. And she could only guess, from his appearance at least, that Vegeta was going to be one of those people.

She noticed another thing. She had been looking at people; they were an object of her interest. And a characteristic feature of them was their ordinary expression.

What she called that was the expression the people had on their faces most time of the day. For an example, when she was unaffected by any feelings at all, her face radiated happiness and cheerfulness as most of the time she was smiling. This very teen's was the exact opposite of hers.

Even in his emotionless expression put at bay as he stared blankly at her, she could see his features twisted slightly in a frown from all the time he spend scowling. As he did nothing to acknowledge how 'pleased to meet her' he was, she stretched out her hand to him with a kind-hearted smile. He continued to look strangely at her and glanced once at her offered hand with an unreadable expression on his sharp masculine features.

When she was about to get tired of trying to be nice to the obnoxious newbie, he swiftly turned the board into the possession of his left hand and against his left shoulder, slightly shaking her hand, without a word spoken between the two.

Tension could be felt hot in the air and was slowly but certainly getting tangible. But one person was just _too_ thick to feel _anything_…

"I can't believe that I am in the same clique as the _famous_ Vegeta Ouji! Wait till Mary hears about this!" The blue haired ditz exclaimed, dragging Vegeta by his elbow towards an unknown destination, causing the two to break eye contact.

Before the air-headed friend of theirs could kidnap him into school, the boy shot Bulma a 24 carat smirk and a slight wink.

Feeling her cheeks getting hotter for a second, Bulma dismissed all thoughts of the egocentric aloof guy that she just happened to meet, as if she was not going to meet his on regular basis from now on.

After all, he acted really rude and talked to Goku like he was insignificant dirt on his shoe. If only for that alone, she could already see herself not liking him.

She tried to convince herself that, all the while trying to ignore the aggravating butterflies fluttering aimlessly around in her stomach.

Snorting, she proceeded dignified to class. _Arrogant prick!_

* * *


	2. Ch02: Unknown Rivalry?

**Winning the Love Of The Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Two: Unknown Rivalry?_

* * *

Bulma proceeded to her class silently down the Hall as she noticed her friends were too busy talking nonsense about the summer with the oh-so-corny "Where were you, I couldn't find you for what seems like ages, gal!", "I thought you were going to stay here, you twit! Why did you lie to me?" and other such in the same spirits.

The girl shook her head dejectedly. They would never change. She smiled faintly. And that was exactly why she loved all of them so much.

She felt a hand snake around her waist and she pulled back to see Yamcha, her boyfriend, right behind her and she smiled brightly at him. It had been almost three months since she last saw him and, Gods, did she miss him! They were never quite a passionate couple, but they loved each other and that was all that mattered. At least on Bulma's behalf, that was.

She pulled back and planted a doting kiss on his cheek, still smiling as she looked into his deep black eyes.

"Hey, Yamcha," she murmured calmly, a placid grin on her face. He grinned back at her.

He was such a wonderful and cheerful person. That was one of the many reasons why she loved him so much. He always managed to make her laugh, even in the darkest of hours. Well, what could she say? Having a boyfriend was some very beneficial business!

"Hey, babe." He kissed her again as her smile faltered into a scowl. "What?" he asked innocently.

"Don't you play fool with me, Yamcha; you know how much I hate it when you call me that," the lavender haired girl said and squeezed out of his grip onto her seat in the classroom in pseudo-exasperation. She couldn't _possibly_ be angry with him for such a short period of time after missing him for so long. But he didn't need to know _that_, she smirked inwardly.

He frowned and followed suit, taking his seat and pulling his desk nearer hers.

"Oh, Bulma, will you let such a trivial little thing ruin our moment?"

She mocked thought for a bit over his words.

"Yes," was her curt answer in the end. To her surprise he broke in laughter.

"That's my girl." What was with him? Usually their little games ended with his retreat and her win. End of discussion, end of game, resuming mushiness.

Her cerulean eyes looked up as the new guy circled around the desk in front of her, pulling out a note book onto it and sitting quietly, beginning to write something; he looked utterly unimpressed with the murmurs of giggling girls around him, pointing and staring at him as guys started discussing skaters of his caliber or at least close to him. She raised a delicate eye brow as she could not imagine a skater of his 'rank' having time to do studies at home. Yamcha was no different. She often needed to tutor him, yet every time she tried to they got caught up in… let's simply say _other_ activities.

The girls around were already whispering about him, he could hear. His senses were probably twice as better than any other boy his age. There was a reason behind it too, but he did not want to get to that. Some memories he would try his best to forget, even though he knew it was something beyond him to actually succeed in doing so. That wasn't going to stop him from trying, of course.

He slowly began doodling on one of the sheets with a smirk playing on his lips the more his drawing was taking the desired shape.

His 'masterpiece' consisted of a SD figure of him, holding the lavender haired girl whose name he didn't quite catch with her on his knee, leaning against his chest while he sat on a huge chair that could be easily mistaken for a throne with that other blonde girl by his side, a huge grin on the small Vegeta's face. Yep, he hadn't lost his touch after all—he was still as great at sketching as he always was. He made a mental note to show his creation to Goku, if only to annoy the other boy with his lack of respect for the skater's friends.

Caught up in his drawing, he didn't notice that the teacher had gone in and already said what she would want of them during the year. Even if he _did_ notice, he seriously couldn't care any less.

Yet the math teacher seemed to care a lot when someone ignored her during her own class, in her own classroom.

"Mr. Ouji." She called his name once, trying her best to keep a cool calm voice, as she knew he was a transfer student and it was, after all, the first day of school. He didn't respond, nor did he look up. And she was starting to get the feeling that it would only go downhill from there.

"Mr. Ouji!" She repeated, this time failing to keep her voice calm. Not a single glance up at her, not a glimpse of his eyes.

"_Mr. Ouji!_" She finally screamed gaining the silence she tried to obtain ever since she entered the classroom as well as the teen in question's attention. His onyx orbs flashed darkly at her with annoyance read clearly in them. "Would you mind coming to the blackboard and solving _this_ problem?" She pointed with the chalk what she meant.

Bulma frowned deeply. The teacher was a real bitch. There was no chance any other in this class but she knew how to do this before they were taught how it's done since it was this year's material.

Yet Vegeta did not even look close to panicked or even remotely perturbed. He just sighed in irritation and made his way to the front of the class room.

The chocolate eyes of the teacher bore into his skull, trying to burn holes into it. He snatched the piece of chalk from her hands rudely and looked at what was written on the board.

The lavender haired girl was about to protest to the teacher's ways as the elder woman's face beamed jubilantly, when both of them were startled as the boy began writing quietly. In a minute, he was done with all calculations. He turned back around with a bored expression on his face. The teacher stared vacuously at him. Then she glanced back to the board, and then to him again, back to the board, and back to him. Not another Briefs protégé…

"I did what you wanted, didn't I? Wasn't that the purpose of the task? Jeesh… Stupid people… need teaching…" he muttered inaudibly the last part and made his way back to his seat, slumping down on it as he reached it, fully intent on ignoring everyone and everything for the remainder of the class.

Math in school was of no interest to him. He was beyond all those losers' level anyway.

The whole class' attention turned to him as they followed his journey to his desk turning their heads over as he passed by them, murmuring amongst themselves as he passed by them uninterested.

The teacher was so shocked by the fact that this boy outsmarted her in her own game to notice that he had actually insulted her as well as the rest of the class and probably human kind, both of which she couldn't care less about. When she regained her composure, she glared suspiciously at him. Turning on her heel, she brushed everything away and wrote several equations on the board.

"Class, start working over these." She pointed at the board. "If there are any of you ready by the end of the period, tell me so I can give you more and keep your minds busy." She walked over to Vegeta's seat, the possessor of which was currently looking down at his notebook in his lap, his chair on two legs only, and he had the air of someone who knew his worth.

Until the end of the class the teacher was engaged into a constant argument with the new student as he solved everything she gave him, all of which consisted of freshman and sophomore material of University.

"This is calculus, you can't _possibly_ know calculus." She whispered huskily and the boy's eye brow quirked at her.

"Says who?"

Even though Bulma was a good girl and her principles were totally against eavesdropping, she couldn't help but catch on to their recent conversation. Neither could she help noticing that the guy was completely out of the range of this class. True, it was a mathematics specialized school, but no one did extra work around here. They might be the elite of the country, but they also had personal lives outside the school, as much as the teachers could care less about that.

She highly doubted Vegeta wasn't very outgoing. She was also quite sure he was out after day break until sunset and probably even afterwards sometimes. He surely had a lot of girls on his tail, she could see that. So how could he possibly find time in the midst of skating, dating and just screwing around for calculus? She was a natural genius; her father was the smartest being in the Universe, probably. He made everyone's lives quite simpler with his projects and work. It was only expected of her to be a very smart girl herself, what with genes and all. But with him, it was a different story.

He was a skater. Perhaps it was common fallacy, but she had always thought of skaters as slightly… well, inferior students to the rest of the school. Yet here she had the exact opposite of her belief, bickering heatedly with the teacher who refused to believe that 'some have enough backbone to do studies alone at home', as he had said it himself.

Her train of thought was put to an abrupt halt as the irritating ring of the bell rang throughout the silent room. Sighs of relief were released all over the classroom as all the students relaxed, freed from the math torture they were currently enduring with the problems on the blackboard.

She collected her things just as fast as she could while Vegeta dashed out of the room with his bag in hand off to his next class. It was safe to say that he was quite annoyed with the nosy math teacher nagging at him for so long and he was more than happy to leave with the first chance he got.

"Did you see that?" Yamcha caught up with her just as fast. "Maybe you have a rival in brains!" He chuckled.

Bulma rolled her eyes. Sometimes her boyfriend was _so_ simple it was almost irritating.

"Your wording is so infantile, Yamcha," she told him snappily but he seemed unimpressed with her tone as they walked on. Monday was a shitty day. They had to get to the fourth floor and the way there was quite long and they had no time to lose.

A smirk crept on her face as she dashed on as well. Maybe she did have a rival?… Or was he a rival at all?

* * *

**Lunchtime…**

"Did you hear about Ouji—"

"I heard he was awesome in every class he had!— "

"He's my dream man! I'm going to ask him out—"

"That Vegeta Ouji is not only the best skater, yet he's the hammer in school as well! I can barely believe it! He's _so_ smart—"

"I was tackled during training by Vegeta Ouji! Man, am I not a lucky dog or what?— "

ChiChi frowned as she and her friends made their way through the lunch line and to the nearest available table.

"Are those rumours even true? They say he knows calculus, everything you could possibly ask of him about the whole planet and its living creatures; he could rival Mendeleyev in chemistry or whatever… What's _so wonderful_ about him anyway?" The raven haired girl hissed between her clenched teeth as she settled her platter on the table.

"Well, Chi, he _is_ handsome, he _is_ cool, and he _is_ very smart. Oh, yeah, perhaps all the reasons you pointed out a second ago too. What more should I say?" Juuhachi reasoned as she sat opposite of ChiChi following her lead with her own platter.

"My Goku is still the best. And that Vegeta-boy is so arrogant, self-centered and insolent! I can't stand him!" The brunette spat venomously and glared daggers at Juu who just shrugged at the statement. "And I know you have something for him, why don't you just try your way with him? Maybe _then _all those idiotic harpies will stop talking about him all the time as if he's their dream come true. It's seriously annoying me." The azure orbs of her counterpart shifted back to her.

"Are you trying to tell me I won't stand a chance with him?" the other female hissed dangerously.

"Well, Maron's already working her way with him, so you might have some competition there." ChiChi pointed her filed finger in opposite direction of the one Juuhachi was facing. She turned around on the bench and glared at Maron who had her sly filthy little arm around _her_ man.

"We'll see…" the blonde muttered, shoving the food angrily in her mouth, writing off the subject for the time being as only God knew how starved she was.

"Hey, you guys," Bulma greeted her friends, letting go of Yamcha's waist as she sat by her buddies on the bench.

Both girls looked up and frowned. They didn't exactly hate Yamcha; he was one of their first friends in this school, they had been together for four years now, this one being the fifth, but they definitely didn't approve of him cheating on Bulma every chance he got. Ever since he started doing that, he was no more than just an acquaintance of theirs.

"Yo, B." Juuhachi moved over a little so Bulma could have a seat next to her. The lavender haired girl accepted her subtle offer. "I hear you aren't unconditionally number one anymore," the blonde prodded the subject, curious about her friend's reaction to the statement.

And, just as she had expected, Bulma pouted at the table, her eye brows creasing deeply.

"Something like that seems to be happening, yes."

"You're still just as hot, babe." Yamcha leant over her and kissed her cheek, sitting on the other side of Juu, who shot him a glare, which clearly said 'shut-up-asshole-I-know-what-you've-done-and-I-won't-tolerate-it-much-longer-as-I-am-a-true-friend,-as-opposed-to-you'. Well, at least something like it, since he didn't show any signs of understanding her glance.

Vegeta and Maron soon joined the clique as well, opposite of the trio. Goku was also fast to follow with Krillin hot on his trail.

"Hey, people!" The tall teen greeted, slumping down a twice bigger amount of food than they all had combined, sitting down on the place that ChiChi had saved for him next to her. "Didn't miss me much, now did you?"

"I missed my food, you fool. What took you so long?" Vegeta snapped at him, grabbing half of the things Goku had taken.

A goofy grin covered the boy's face.

"Well, it's not such an easy 'burden' to carry, 'Geta. Didn't want to make you so aggressive—"

"Of course you didn't, because you know you're the one that's going to get it if you piss me off," the other teen commented just as fast. "And _don't_ call me 'Geta', got it? Otherwise I'll make sure you suffer a very painful death, Kakarott." Bulma frowned at that.

"Then why do you—" But she didn't get to finish as Maron interrupted her rudely.

"Hey, did you hear Veggiekins is a mastermind? Maybe he's even smarter than you, Bulma!" she exclaimed excitedly.

The whole table cringed at her volume of voice but they were curious to see the other female's reaction to the statement.

The girl in question glared daggers at her look-alike. It was one thing having practically the entire school testing her patience with the topic and a whole another story having this brain-dead bimbo question her competence as a devoted scholar.

"Yes, _Maron_, at this point _everyone_ in school knows that. And if you would stop whoring around for just a second, you would notice that you aren't even near as intelligent as you might think you are," Bulma dropped off sarcastically, causing both Juu and Vegeta to chuckle at her retort, even though it had nothing to do with the statement Maron had made.

Juuhachi loved to hear Bulma bash Maron for all of the other girls despised her to the guts for she had cheated on Krillin so many times they weren't even countable anymore, but he still said he loved her and she claimed she did love him back. Was there a coherent reason to cheat on the one you 'love' that none of them had heard of?

"So, you like to keep your image up, eh?" Vegeta asked, forgetting the fact that the little slut by him had called him quite an insulting nickname he already knew he despised. Arguing with a gormless wench such as her was as effective as trying to catch your shadow.

"It is _not_ an image. I _am_ the smartest person in the whole school, whether you like it or not." She crossed her hands over her chest arrogantly, huffing angrily at the insulting hypothesis of his he had just revealed. He smirked at her.

"We'll see…" he said inaudibly, digging into his lunch without further ado.

"What was that?" she snapped, annoyed as hell with the aloof guy already. Throughout the entire day, he had only proved her theory about him being an insufferable bastard to be truer and truer.

"Nothing," he was fast to retort, perhaps saving all the occupants of the table from a volcano-like eruption of curses and obscenities. The girl narrowed her eyes at his eating frame. '_We'll see, eh? We'll see alright…'_ She thought to herself, feeling her appetite dissipate quite successfully…

* * *


	3. Ch03: Betrayed

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Three: Betrayed_

* * *

The week passed quite fast. At least for Bulma it did.

She did studying, going out with her boyfriend, some more studying, then some more going out with boyfriend, and to end it perfectly, she took plenty of sleep. Her schedule was quite full and it was still the first week of school.

Maybe it was for the fact that this repugnant little man was trying to outsmart her, or for the fact that she was annoyed out of her wits when someone commented how smart he was, but she almost felt compelled to prove everyone that she was still number one in school. This was why she was studying like a girl possessed when it was only a week since the start of the term.

The fact did not go unnoticed by her raven-haired friend though.

On their way to the school building ChiChi caught up with her best friend and frowned intensely at her.

"Bulma, you can't just stay home the whole day and do nothing else but study! Stop that, or I'll personally take care you do!" the dark eyed girl shouted obscenely. Her friend blinked in puzzlement at her.

"Is it your period, Chi? Do you need some painkillers?" she inquired quirking a delicate eye brow.

The other teen growled audibly. She hated being asked that.

"No, _Bulma_, it is _not_ my period. And _you_ will be the one needing painkillers after I'm through with you if you don't learn how to form your questions," she threatened between her clenched teeth, seething.

Bulma shrugged good-naturedly at the intimidating manner of her best friend. She had known the girl long enough to be aware that she was just like a dog which barked but never bit—loud and harmless.

"Don't pay attention to her hostility, Bulma; she's just offended you don't hang around her as much as you did last year," Goku explained merrily as he caught up with the pair. His girlfriend huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, looking haughtily away, as if knowing he was right and did not want to correct his statement. How would she? He said the one thing she did not wish to put in a straight word out on her own.

"But, Chi, this year is a very important one. I can't just lie around, doing nothing the whole day!" the lavender haired girl defended herself.

She was beginning to feel a pang of guilt about the whole situation. After all, she _was_ Bulma Briefs, _the_ genius. Besides, things at school weren't that hard to understand at all. She was just finding excuses for her laziness, perhaps? She liked to think it was that and not the fact how much the new guy angered her with just his presence in the same premise and how he easily topped her without even trying.

"Yes, B, but that does not give you a right to neglect your best friends, you see?"

"Guys, guys, _guys_!" Juuhachi raised her voice, a hand separating them all. Their pairs of sapphires and onyxes fixed on the blonde. "I know how we can put an end to this idiotic argument. Let's just hang out together this Saturday! I know the perfect place to visit during weekends. It's gorgeous, it's far from the busy city and, most important of all, it's all _mine_!" She roared with forced laughter after the exclamation and had to resist the strong urge to cough after that as roaring made her throat hoarse.

"I think we all drank a little too much coffee this morning," ChiChi pointed out, taking her schedule from her bag nonchalantly.

Juuhachi's laughter ceased at once and she proceeded doing the very same thing.

"True. Coffee is going to be the death of me."

Bulma giggled at her friends and made her way down the other hall to her next class.

* * *

**Lunch time...**

"Can you believe she "F"-ed me? An _F_ during the first week of school! Oh, man, what will my grandfather say? He'll be furious with me… I sure hope he doesn't snatch his "staff" again. The damned stick leaves quite nasty bruises, I'd say. Not to mention that it takes quite some time for them to heal. And they're a really dreadful colour too." Krillin kept rambling on and on while Goku's eye brow rose.

"Come on, Krillin, it cannot possibly be that bad. There are plenty of classes till the end of the term; jeesh, we just started, give yourself a break."

He started digging into his food as he finished saying that, no longer willing to bear the mask of politeness he had preserved over the five minute walk to the canteen with his bald friend.

"Why does my baby need a break? Can I help?" Maron inquired with a sheepish grin on her face present, as always. "Hey, Krillie, how are you going, sweetie?" She sat next to her boyfriend and hugged him by the neck. The boy still pouted though her ministrations seemed to calm him some.

"I got an F in science! Can you possibly believe that? _I_ can't!"

"Chill, chrome-dome, there's enough time for you to fix that." Juuhachi chuckled, sitting next to Goku, putting her plate on the table as well. "Besides, I could help you with science if you suck so much at it." Her icy azure eyes fixed on him and a grin spread over his face.

It was very well known Juuhachi was also a mechanical genius, even though she could barely compare herself to Bulma.

"Really? You would do this for me? Gee, thanks Juu!" He began eating as well, much too enthusiastic to catch the jealous glare of his girlfriend.

The other girl smirked at the reaction she received, having Bulma sit next to her and Vegeta moving in with a huge pile of food next to Goku's alarmingly fast decreasing one. The flame-haired teen looked quite fed up while Bulma seemed upset, cheering herself up by poking mercilessly her food with her fork off-mindedly.

"What's going on, B?" ChiChi asked as she arrived a minute later, sitting across her friend. The strange-haired girl sighed dramatically.

"Yamcha's nowhere to be found—"

Vegeta's cell phone rang suddenly, interrupting the girl's rant before it even started, with a melody no one could recognize. The boy picked it out from his pocket glaring daggers at the far off wall.

"Speak," he picked up.

The tablemates fell silent. They didn't want to be part of the noise-making crowd, since the teen probably needed the privacy as well. Yet he did not remove himself from the table whatsoever.

"Yes, that's what I asked yesterday." Pause. Vegeta's face turned to one of anger. "I told you I have them in me!" Another short-lived pause ensued, during which Vegeta was getting angrier by the second. "How is it _your_ damned business how I have so much in me in cash?" And then silence. Weird looks were exchanged over the table, puzzled, impressed. "Will you just do it, or should I ask someone else! Now that's more like it. Be sure not to do that ever again, got that? I don't pay so much for _nothing_! By this evening, if it's not ready, you'll be the one to pay this time." He hung up angrily and clenched his fists over the table. Goku threw him a quizzical look.

"Can you believe this? The asshole thought he'd make me wait another week for the deal! And what do I do meantime, eh?" The dark teen fumed, stabbing his meat with his plastic fork as if it were the person he wanted to suffer.

"So, it's going to be tonight after all? Tonight's the big night?" The higher skater asked with hope evident in his obsidian eyes.

"Yes, it is _supposed_ to be. If not, I'll freaking go there and beat all those losers to bloody pulps, I swear."

He dug into his food again, still angry to some degree but somehow—perhaps—Goku's positivism and enthusiasm soothed his rage. Those two were of the oddest pair to ever come across.

"Okay, okay, some attention over here please, all of you just _shut up_." Juuhachi snapped out of her trance. "No more school talking, no more arguing. Let's discus our small vacation that's tomorrow!" She smirked proudly at the thought of the place that was all hers. Whatever it was.

"What vacation?" The anger was siphoning away quite fast out of the temperamental teen's system, being successfully replaced by annoyance and—between you and me—interest to some extent as well.

"Hm, right; I only told the girls and Goku about this."

Vegeta threw another vicious accusing glare at the boy in question, who tried to look as innocent as possible.

"Since we don't spend plenty of time together, I say we go to my villa for the weekend and waste some time. It's far away from the city, no school work, and most importantly—"

"—it's all hers." ChiChi finished for the girl, rolling her eyes comically. Even though Juu was famed to be the cold one from all the girls, sometimes she tended to get quite silly over matters of the sort. It was truly amusing, being witness to all her odd mood swings.

"Yup! It's _all_ mine!" Juuhachi assured with a huge grin. It looked very weird on her usually stone cold features.

"Don't count me in this," Vegeta stated with an air of definite finality and continued eating. Juuhachi's face faltered immediately in a tight scowl. That was definitely _not_ the comment she had expected to get from him.

"Why not?" she demanded with an intimidating tone which would've scared anyone who didn't even remotely know her to realize that his statement had just insulted her on a far more personal level than one would think.

"I have lots of work after the deal I'm making. I don't have time for this, or any time to waste for that matter."

"Of course you do! I'll help you, 'Geta, don't worry! We'll finish with everything just in time to leave with Juu and the others!" Goku grinned through a mouth-full of canteen food. The other boy grimaced in disgust at the display.

"Stop it with the nickname, Kakarott. And if I say I'm not going, then I'm really—"

But Goku didn't let him finish. It was one of the rare occasions when he would not let his shorter friend get the better of him.

"Come on, man! It will be fun! You have no idea how beautiful Juuhachi's villa spot is! Besides, that's the perfect way for the gang to get to know you," the taller boy reasoned, waving his index finger in the other boy's face. Vegeta sighed in exasperation.

"Fine, fool, I'll think it over, alright! Will you finally let me eat my food now that you're pleased?"

"Don't count me in either by the way…" Bulma said, the whole table's attention (except for Vegeta's—always the stubbornly differing one—of course) turning to her.

"And just _why_ the bloody hell should we _not_?" ChiChi's voice rose impressively this time, her nerves beginning to get the better of her temper and self- control.

"I don't— … I'm not in the mood for hanging out this weekend. I have… things to do," she explained lamely. ChiChi's frown only deepened at that.

"Oh? So you're _not in the mood _for your _friends_? You have _more important _things to do than paying even a tiny little bit of your endlessly precious attention to the ones that care for you even though you so stubbornly ignore them? Is _that_ what you're trying to tell me?" she screeched, her voice becoming shrill with anger as her temper rose in dramatic proportions.

She was feeling her best friend drifting away from her… How else could she react? She was always the rash one, let's not forget that either.

"Chi…" Bulma began tiredly, lifting her exhausted-looking features to face her friend. "Don't put words in my mouth, okay? I never said that and never will. I just told you, _not - this - weekend_, okay?" The lavender haired heiress offered with a diplomatically stoic face. She wasn't in the mood to be having this argument.

"Sure. Not this weekend. Fine by me. It won't be next weekend either, nor the one after it, and not any of the weekends at all, because you will be too fucking busy with studying or fretting over stupid cheating Yamcha!"

"_Take that back!_" The other girl growled out, standing from her seat on the big bench like her brunette fellow had a moment before.

"That's why this is happening, isn't it? Because Yamcha is trying to stab your back again! Bulma, get over your pathetic blind state and look around you! This has been happening for a _very_ long time now, and all you do is accepting him back _every_ freaking time and all of his lame excuses! I cannot possibly believe someone labeled a genius can be so _stupid_ at times!"

The other girl fell silent. What could she possibly say? The words wouldn't come. She felt betrayed by ChiChi's little dignity-related speech. She hoped the other girl would let her anger decrease and would say sorry and take back everything she had said. But there was no sign of such a thing happening anytime soon. The raven-haired teenager stared at her expressionlessly, awaiting a reaction of any kind.

With a quick curt shake of her head, Bulma made her way to her next class silently. She never took a look back. She was afraid her best friend might use more of her fears against her.

* * *

"Why did you do that, Chi? Didn't you see how distressed she was? What's got into you lately, seriously?" Juuhachi jumped on her friend after the heiress was out of earshot, her pallid features taut with anger.

"What's got into _me_? Look at what's got into her! She's suffering a serious case of idiotism and blindness! She should think those things over once before getting depressed over a scumbag like Yamcha next time. At least one of us has to make her think of those things and the one that cares obviously isn't _you_, Juu," the brunette reasoned and pushed her plate away with an enraged shove. She suddenly felt so repulsed by the mere thought of food.

"You just didn't need to be such a bitch with her, you know! She's vulnerable now. As her _best friend_," she said the word full of contempt, "you of all people should _know_ that!" The blonde stood her ground.

"She needs someone to be hard on her, to tell things to her as they are instead of sugar-coating them. She'll see I'm right soon, don't worry. She'll come back," ChiChi said and made the other girl snort and look away.

Vegeta shook his head disapprovingly. Things with those people were so goddamn see-through it was almost dejecting.

* * *

Bulma returned home late. She had spent some time at the park near the school in an aimless walk until the stars rose in the sky. Her friends were probably already off to Juu's villa. She wondered whether she regretted not being with them or not. What startled her more was not the question she was pondering about yet the fact she had a hard time answering herself.

She loved her friends dearly, yet today had been such an awful day. Everything had turned out wrong. Not to mention Yamcha did not pick up his phone once, neither did he have any classes with her so she could not see him at all the whole day. She felt a lump rising in her throat. She felt that something was wrong. What could it be?

Was it possible ChiChi had been right, that her words had not just been a waste of breath? Did she know something the lavender haired girl did not? Why wasn't she told then? She had told her friends to tell her if there was anything wrong going on around her without her knowledge. She was a genius, true, but geniuses were usually quite inexperienced in the emotional matters. Well, at least she had proven time and time again that _she_ was.

With a defeated sigh, the young woman made her way to the huge dome that represented her home in an even plod.

When she stepped on the front porch, she heard something shuffling over the fence at the mansion near Capsule Corp. It was quite a rich neighbourhood. Not just anyone could buy a house around there and she found the windows to the mansion surprisingly lit. It had been uninhabited since she could remember and then—just that same day—she found out someone had moved in.

"Hey, Mum," she called to her mother after she entered her house and looked around.

Her ditz of a mother grinned at her happily from the kitchen, poking her head out the door-frame.

"Hello, dear! What took you so long? We were starting to worry a bit about you!" the woman chirped in an appallingly high octave.

"Oh, nothing… Needed some time on my own, to think things over…and such." Bulma said as she sat in her place on the kitchen table. "Did anyone call me, Mum?" her eyes fixed her mother's hopefully.

"I don't think so, dear. The phone hasn't rung since your father called he'd be late because of some business deal at work."

"What deal? Did he make something without showing it to me?" The girl instantly turned her guard on, anticipating her mother's answer.

It was a thing between Bulma and her father to show each other the inventions results of brainstorms and strokes of genius before dealing them off. She'd never forgive her father if he didn't keep his promise to her just as her father wouldn't forgive her if she did the same. The elder woman just laughed full-heartedly and kept stirring whatever she was cooking.

"Oh, no, dear, of course not. It was something about the Capsule Corp. grounds next to this compound. He said it wouldn't take too much time, but he has been gone for over an hour now." Just as she finished her sentence, Dr. Briefs entered the kitchen and slipped into his place with a very tired sigh, as if he had been moving cement bags twice his size the whole time he had been away.

"I curse the day I began negotiating with this boy," he remarked and took a sip from the glass of water his wife offered him. Seeing the puzzled look on his daughter's face, he added, "I sold the mansion next to our house."

"So I hear as well," the girl retorted and made her old father smile kindly at her.

"That's the most stubborn young man I have ever come upon in all my years. He wouldn't give it up until I did as he asked me. These things take time, I tried to make him understand, but he wouldn't listen. I have no idea why he was in such a hurry."

"When are we going to eat?" Bulma changed the topic, as speaking of the subject made her think of Vegeta and Vegeta was certainly not a very pleasant thought right before supper.

"I'm almost done here, dear," her chirpy mother told the sitting pair Briefs.

* * *

The lavender-haired girl sat in her comfy chair and stared up at the shiny stars above.

She had eliminated any trace of thought by the time and was simply admiring the night's beauty. It had been a long time since she had done that. She had been quite busy the whole summer with projects and such things that involved anything but having fun. Well, she _did_ have fun creating things, but she rarely sat on her behind in half a year or so. God knew she needed a break.

"You put up quite a show at lunch." She heard a firm low voice say turning her attention to the mansion's nearest balcony to hers. The voice seemed alarmingly familiar to her all of a sudden.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?" she snapped, recognizing the flame-haired teen there. She could almost feel him smirk. The distance was not too large between the two balconies. Very bad thing, Bulma acknowledged bitterly.

"That's where I live now," he stated with a short shrug.

"_You_ bought the house?" the girl exclaimed, flabbergasted by the prospect.

"What's so surprising about it? Do you have any idea how much I can earn in a month if I put my heart into it?" He chuckled quietly, eyeing the dark where she was supposed to be. She snorted at him and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Sure you can. I just wonder how much your parents are indebted because of you right now." She thought aloud coldly.

A mood drop could be felt instantly, the iciness of the atmosphere having nothing to do with the climate.

"My parents have _nothing_ to do with this house. _Got that_?" he snapped briskly at her, startling her with the aggressiveness of his reaction.

"You bought it all on your own? Such a huge mansion? All to yourself? Whoa, you must really feel _so_ much like a big shot," Bulma fired back, quickly changing the subject. So, the parental area was off-limits? She took hints quicker than she was given credit to.

"It's not just for me. Kakarott is out with his harpy to that villa the blonde bitch was swanking about during lunch." He didn't know why he was giving her that information. But it was soon not going to be much a secret after the rumors were spread that such a huge house had been bought by a teenager, a _skater_ nonetheless.

"You live with Goku?" She sounded even more surprised at that. She thought he despised her goofy friend, even though Goku appeared to be the only person that could stand him.

"He hasn't told you anything about me?" the male questioned, slightly amused at the prospect. By the time the cerulean eyes were fixed on him and were quite sparkling with interest. "I can't believe he actually listens to what I say." He laughed mirthlessly at his statement.

"Why? What is there to know about you? Tell me," she inquired before she could realize what she was asking.

"It is not a topic I like to discus with snobbish spoilt little bitches. You wouldn't understand me as it is." Bulma frowned deeply at that. He smirked arrogantly. "Besides, what's the sudden interest in me, eh?"

"What makes you think my family is so flawless?" the girl defended, ignoring his last question skillfully. It was one she would rather not get started on because the argument would be quick to rise in volume and intensity.

"Is it not?" He did not even try to veil his sarcasm. It didn't even occur to him that little Miss Perfect had something to complain about in her personal life. Besides that scum of a boyfriend of hers that he knew from his skating gang, that is. But he guessed Yamcha didn't count.

"Well, you don't wish to share with me, so why should _I_ share anything about _my_ life with _you_?" she answered smugly. He smirked at her.

"Very sharp, ain't you? So… I have been left with the impression that what the harpy said at lunch is true, is it not?" The arrogant little prick continued to dig in her business, making her frown as he did so.

"How is that any of your concern?" she inquired, dignified expression at bay. It all just made him smirk again. She liked acting tough, he respected that. But it was just plain useless in cases like these.

"It bugs you, so I use it against you. It's quite fun bugging you, you should know. You get annoyed so easily it's almost fascinating." He stated, making her frown tighten ever more, her lips now mere lines.

"I'm _so_ happy my misery brings you enjoyment," she retorted sardonically.

"Kakarott has told me you have been cheated on a few times."

"Stop it," she started calmly, her voice almost menacing in its lowness.

"Why do you stand someone who is not faithful to you and pays you little to no attention at all?" He continued with his probing questions, as if it was place to ask in the first place.

"I do not wish to share my love life with you."

"I haven't asked you to. I'm just asking questions about it." He smirked through the night at her.

She was suddenly glad it was late and everything was dark. Otherwise he would've seen the heavy blush on her cheeks when she realized what she had just said.

"Whatever! What's it to you anyway?" she snapped, already quite fed up with the entire exchange. Who the hell was he to tell her how to live her life? He didn't even _know_ her to begin with, damn it!

"I can even _feel_ how embarrassed you get when talking about it with me."

She kept her silence. What could she say anyway? He got her cornered there. And there seemed to be no way of getting out of that situation any time soon. He was so exasperatingly persistent that it was appalling.

"Have you no self-respect, woman?"

"Don't call me that!"

"Have you?" he demanded his voice firm and serious this time.

"Of course I have self-respect, you idiot!"

"Show it. Ditch him."

"I won't do as you tell me to. I'm not your slave!"

"Then don't and suffer your stupidity. That's what idiots get for their insolence." He snorted and turned on his heel to enter the house, but stopped in mid-stride to add, "Even _I_ am not stupid enough to be stubborn about doing things others tell me I should when I realize it's the best course of action." He was on his way to the house before her voice stopped him.

"What is it to you? What do you care whether I ditch him or not?"

"It's nothing to me; I don't care an ounce about your silly little relationship." She flushed a deep hue of red at the statement – her relationship wasn't silly or little! She and Yamcha had been an item for a long time! "I just want to make you see that I'm always right."

"What will you do if you're not?"

She was getting interested in the direction this conversation was heading despite her boiling blood in her veins.

"Whatever you make me."

She grinned widely at the idea. Oh… Vegeta Ouji would be at her mercy? That was going to be quite a sight to see.

"But if I'm right, I drag you along with me to the villa the blonde told us about. I won't be the only one to suffer their idiocy."

She didn't know why, but she couldn't help betraying a giggle at the thought.

"You have a deal."

"Go over without calling. If he's faithful, you'll know. If he's not, you'll know. Pay attention to the little facts, woman, you shouldn't be _that _thick not to notice them."

And with that he was gone, a little trace left in Bulma's mind of the conversation they shared, if it even could be called that.

* * *

The very next day Bulma did as Vegeta had advised her. She grabbed her car keys and drove over to Yamcha's in early morning without calling beforehand.

She had had a key to his apartment for what seemed like a lifetime to her. It seemed that her life had begun when she met him right then and there, she thought. And now…

Did she really doubt his love for her? Didn't she have even just a little belief in his deeds? She was beginning to get uncertain about all of that. She felt like a traitor for simply supposing those things could be true for a second's worth. And now she would be making sure if they really weren't? Didn't that make her truly that—a traitor?

'_Snap out of it, gal. If he's faithful, you'll just slip in the bed next to him and wait till he's up and you'll spend the whole day with him and have that Ouji guy do whatever you want him to. It will be so much fun, don't worry about it. There is nothing to worry about in the first place! Yamcha would _never_ cheat on you again, not since last time,'_ she assured herself and plugged the key in the lock and the door clicked open.

She looked around hastily. Her boyfriend was nowhere in sight. His bed had not been slept in. She saw his cell phone on the bed and frowned. How could he just dismiss it? '_Maybe he just forgot it_,' her inner self suggested, but she glanced at the object with a grimace of a higher degree of doubt. She knew he didn't usually carry it with himself when he didn't want to be found, when he needed privacy. He needed it with himself all the time for he was a busy person.

The cerulean eyes rolled to the phone and the flashing light of the phone recorder. She felt curiosity plaguing her. She told herself to turn around and walk out. She didn't need to know this. She didn't need to plunge into his privacy; she had already done enough of that. But how would she be able to sleep tonight without knowing the answer? She reached her hand out to it. Should she, or shouldn't she…?

"Hey, Yamcha, this is Maron." Bulma's hand hovered frozen over the machine after she had pushed the little button saying 'play'. How… How was it possible? "I just thought I'd tell you that I'm going to Juu's villa in the mountain. Sorry not to have told you that last night, but I was so caught up with what we were doing I forgot." Her voice giggled sluttishly, making it _very_ clear to Bulma what they have done yesterday _night_.

Her eyes watered, her hand clasping her mouth in a futile attempt to calm herself.

"Say, come over for a bit if you hear this before you go to Bulma's, okay? I have something for you that I'm sure you'll like." She hung up, imitating the sound you make when you kiss someone.

Bulma felt dead—stabbed to death to be precise.

Never had she felt so betrayed in her whole life.

Maron had known perfectly well that the two were still together and she still lured him to her. She tried to blame it all on the clutz, but it was not only her fault, Bulma knew that perfectly well. But she was still in denial. She couldn't believe it, she couldn't believe _him! _If he didn't let himself be led by her, this wouldn't have been happening. Her tears began cascading down the pale skin of her cheeks.

"What the—?" She heard Yamcha's muffled voice as she turned on her heel to meet his gaze.

When he saw the condition she was in, he knew instantly she had found out. He opened his mouth to object, to explain, to calm her somehow—anyhow!—but she had already run out of the door, pushing his cell phone into his hands as she had clutched to it in anguish the entire time.

She didn't know what to think. She had no one to go to. All she did was race towards her car, not paying attention to Yamcha who was calling her behind over his shoulder and trying to catch up with her down the stairs. His screams were muffled to her deaf ears; the images of his concerned stressed face were blurred by her sightless eyes.

She drove off without giving him a second glance, afraid she'd collapse right there and then, giving him another reason to taunt her later.

He had not deserved even so much of her. Not anymore. Not after the way he had hurt her. He didn't deserve her tears, he didn't deserve her devotion, and he definitely did not deserve her love.

She wouldn't take him back this time. He had crossed the line. There was only as much that a girl could handle.

Unlike what his highness Mr. Ouji thought, she _did_ have self-respect!

* * *

She rang the bell and waited half-patiently, glancing around nervously, uncomfortably.

The door was opened lazily soon after, a bored teenager appearing behind it. Vegeta's eyes widened a fraction at the sight before him, his eyebrow quirking inquiringly. He soon recovered, only to be nearly knocked over by the female, who threw herself over him.

"You were right." She wailed, suddenly giving a long-awaited freedom to her emotions. "I hate you! _Why did you have to be right? Why! Whywhywhywhy!" _With each word she hit her balled fist against his chest.

He didn't flinch at all during her little tantrum. His discman was still blaring in the headphones which were brought down from his ears.

"Get a grip woman." He pushed her away from himself, but she didn't move.

She was crying to his chest and refused to move, shaking her head vigorously. She had no one else to go to.

Anyone else would just tell her it had been about time. It wasn't as if he hadn't done just that last night.

With a sigh he pulled her inside and closed the door behind them, letting a single muscular hand drape over her shoulders uncomfortably, not used to such displays of affection, pulling her closer to his warm being. He knew not what else to do in such a situation. He had never had to comfort another before in his entire life as most people knew not to look for him in cases like these.

She faintly heard the words from his headphones. '_Stay with me… Safe and ignorant… Just stay with me… Hold you and protect you from the other ones, the evil ones don't love you…'_

The girl smiled half-heartedly through her tears. As scaring as the thought was, right then and there, she felt as if those words left his mouth they would sound far too tempting for her liking.

* * *

_A/N: The song that was playing on Vegeta's discman is performed by a band called " A Perfect Circle__" and the song is entitled 'Pet'. I strongly recommend that you find the song to go with reading the last scene, or even the rest of the fic; it can even classify as the first from the "Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater" soundtrack, haha!_


	4. Ch04: All is Fair in Pursue & War!

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater **

_Chapter Four: All is Fair in Pursue and War! Let the Games Begin!_

The same day very Bulma's last wish was to be left alone, unlike what you might've thought her wishes would be. She felt too alone for her own good that evening. She had the evanescent idea of asking Vegeta to share his huge enough mansion with her, just for the night, as she did not want to be left on her own cross her mind for a moment, but she knew better than to push her luck. For the little time the skater had shared with her and the gang, she found out he wasn't one of the most cheerful and careless people you could encounter. And that left her, yet again, alone to sulk in depression for the remainder of the day.

This was what she actually did, indeed. She wondered what could possibly be so wrong with her to have her wonderful boyfriend cheat on her all the time. What was so foul in her that drove him into hurting her every freaking time she turned her back to him? She wanted to know, desperately. She screamed in front of the bathroom mirror for hours on end, just to have her voice flee her in the end, and having her drown her sorrow in the salty liquid of her pure tears. She had never felt worse in her entire life… Hollow, emotionless, drained of her will to live, devoid of hope of any kind for what the future may hold in store for her. All she wanted to do was lie down and stare at the ceiling until her mind was numb enough to let her fall asleep… to a dreamless slumber…

Her mother and father knew their daughter really well, not to mention this was not the first time it had happened. They didn't even bother picking up the phone when its annoying lingering sound resounded over the walls of Bulma's corridor to her private chambers. When she was ready, she would pick it up herself and tell him to find something better to do than annoy her. Of course, she would use far different words, more like nastier insults. Or—which was more of a possibility—she would rip off the cord of the annoying telephone that would be sure to dance on her nerves, sooner or later.

It began irritating the daylights out of her far too sooner than the parents had anticipated. Their daughter nearly ripped the door off its hinges as she launched for the receiver and pulled the whole item inside so she wouldn't need to yell in the corridor. The whole Capsule Corp grounds did _not_ need to know every single detail about her personal problems with her unfaithful boyfriend, thank you very much. Little she knew that, even after she had slammed the door, her voice had reached a volume loud enough for the shut door to make absolutely no difference whatsoever.

"What the _hell_ are you calling for? What else do you have to say! I heard enough of your bullshit already, leave me alone to drown in my idiocy for letting you walk all over me for the umpteenth time in our entire puny relationship!" Bulma screeched over the receiver, causing the person on the other end of the line to wince at her tone, not to mention her volume. She let a small smirk grace her lips for a short instant before it faltered into nothingness. Let him squirm in a pathetic death! She could do better than that and she was just warming up right then! She'd scream at him until it no longer gave her any kind of satisfaction to hear his pathetic whiny voice over the phone.

"Bulma, please, you should listen!"

"I _should_? And just _why_ 'should' I? What is it that you can _possibly _say that could matter anyway? Who, the fuck, do you think you're talking to, insolent bastard? I'm not just one of the petty little whores you screw around with. Shut the hell up before I decide I don't give a damn whether you wave your ass around the imbecilic school or not and have media and paparazzi on your tail, asking you questions about filth you would've never imagined I can make up. You have no idea what I am capable of doing when I'm berserk, Yamcha, don't freaking try my patience! You'd be surprised how thin it could get when you're not in my good books! Go and rot in Hell for all I care—which, by the way, by no means anymore includes you, or anything that has to do with you!" She finished her tirade and took a deep shaky—but nonetheless content—breath. Did she blurt all out in a second or what?

"But, Bulma, you don't understand! You have got the wrong idea about the whole thing. I was just—" he tried futilely to protest, but he certainly was in a huge mistake there. Oh, she understood everything _really_ well. He didn't respect her; he didn't care about her feelings. There were better ways to tell someone those two things than cheat on them, she reckoned. How clearer could things be than that? She didn't wish to listen to any more of this… It was tiring her, emotionally and physically as well… She didn't wish to hear his excuses; she didn't want to yell at him any more… She just wanted him to leave her be… God knew it was the least he could freaking do after the way he had treated her.

"Did you even _listen _to what I just said? Are you deaf! No trace of memory in that tiny brain of yours from a second ago, is there? I wasn't born yesterday, Yamcha, and you have to think of a better excuse if you wish for me to believe your shit, which I won't anyway. Spare yourself some precious oxygen and _leave me the hell alone_! Forget I exist. Just let me live my life, and you live yours, screwing whomever you damn well please. I don't care anymore."

Before he could object again, she slammed the receiver into its place on the phone and threw herself on the queen-sized bed. She sighed as she stared at the ceiling vacuously. She had done it. She was finally free, in more than one aspect. His presence had begun to turn into a suffocating grip a long time ago, though she had been too thick and stubborn to admit it. She had always been so selfless with him, tried to do her best so he wouldn't need to cheat on her again and break her fragile heart for the nth time. Obviously, no matter how hard she tried, she wasn't able to please him. What was such a relationship worth then? It only made her feel like a loser. She was better off without it…

The lavender-haired girl had loved her boyfriend dearly. He had meant the world to her, regardless whether the feelings were mutual or not. He had been her best friend, ever. It was common for her to have her best male friend as a boyfriend; she only thought it would be natural. Yet again, he probably did not think the same way. She knew most about him, almost everything, as he knew almost everything about her. They had known each other for what seemed like a lifetime. They had shared so much time and pleasant experiences together. How could he just throw it all away in a whim! She couldn't comprehend that but neither did she care any longer. She had her peace now, at last…

The moment of solitude was broken almost immediately though as the phone rang again. She let out an enraged primordial roar as she ripped the thing off its holder, getting ready for another row. He had just annoyed her to a point of insanity and she would make absolutely _sure_ he was aware of that—and regretted it—the moment she spoke.

"What do you want _now_? I thought I made it clear to you—" But the voice on the other end of the line put her rant to an abrupt halt as quickly as she had landed on the floor.

"Here I thought you might need a ride and that's how you answer your phone? If I knew that, I would've stopped myself before calling." The voice sounded utterly annoyed and bored at the same time. It was such a strange mix. Just like the persona she was talking to. She was quite thankful he wasn't there in person. Otherwise he would've noted the slight red tint to her cheeks that had just appeared upon realizing her mistake.

"Oh—Sorry about that… I thought it was—"

"I _know_ who you thought it was; I don't need you reminding me. Now answer the question if you will, I'm growing old here!" She raised a fine eyebrow at the rude tone he was using as well as his insulting interrupting of her sentences. A question? Where was there a question in his rant till now!

"I don't understand."

"Do you need a ride or not! How hard is that to rephrase from what I said earlier, Jesus Christ!"

"Well if you had just asked directly, I would've been quite faster with answering, you know. How hard is it to put your thoughts out in a straight word, so people could—"

"_ANSWER, DAMN YOU_!"

She needed to pull the receiver away from her ear so she could keep her hearing ability for some more years, as she figured she would need it. She grinned widely as she had caused him to completely get berserk with her by just bitching around with useless crap. She wondered how much time it must've taken him to "lower himself"—as he would've surely referred to it—as to concern himself with matters such as whether she would need a ride or not. Truth was he didn't really know where the villa was, so she guessed that was actually the only reason he was still breathing hard on the other end, doing his best at soothing his anger. One thing was sure – he was a man of his word, if anything.

"Sure, I could use a ride. I'm too damned emotionally exhausted to drive myself there anyway," she said with a half-hearted smile as she relaxed her back against the edge of her comfy bed. Oh, how she craved to just lay her head down against the pillow and drift off to a dreamless sleep… She felt terrible… She was sure even rags felt better at the end of the week than she did right then.

"Is this how incompetent women drivers try to reason their incapability of driving? 'Not in the mood to drive'?" His chuckle resounded in the walls of her head, leaving a permanent trace she was still unaware would affect her for a long, long time in the future. Her smile faltered and a stoned expression took over the smooth features of her face as she glared at the door that was right in front of her.

"Are you testing _my_ patience now? All you have to do is tell me and I would gladly race you there tomorrow, you damn arrogant bastard. You're the one that's in disadvantage right now so _don't play with fire_! You are _destined_ to be burned!" To her utter surprise all he did was sneer at her (she had expected an insult) and a phrase that she could _swear_ he had spoken through a smirk etched onto his features.

"Ten a.m. tomorrow. Don't be late, or I'll find my own way somehow."

And with that he hung up on her. Ten a.m.! That was too late! What would the others say? On the other hand, what did she care what the others would say? She could be sure that Vegeta wanted to get plenty of sleep before having to deal with the gang for an extra weekend more. He was less tolerant to other people than you could expect by looking at him, being so famous and all.

The girl pulled herself up from the floor and onto her bed, crawling towards her huge puffy pillow. She set her alarm clock for nine in the morning, as she would need plenty of time to get ready tomorrow. She managed to wash herself, get dressed and even had some breakfast during the week, yet in the weekends her pace slowed down quite a lot for a reason she couldn't possibly fathom. Perhaps it was some psychological borderline of hers which didn't allow her to be as fast during weekends with her morning rituals as she was during the week.

Bulma shook her head clear of useless thoughts. What was she so caught up in thinking! Morning makeover! Geez… This situation must have _really_ messed her up…

With a sigh she laid under the bed sheets without bothering to change from her house-clothes. She laid there, with her back against the mattress, an impassive expression holding her face as she drowned in thought yet again.

She wouldn't let herself get fooled _ever_ again. She had had enough of Yamcha toying with her and her feelings. If that was the way he would treat her, she would be better off boyfriend-less. She knew that none of her candidates in school really wanted her because of who she was. All they wanted was the fame of being 'Bulma Briefs' date'. How wonderful it must sound to them. Did they even realize what it was doing to her? The inconsiderate bastards… All of them were so like one another. So stereotypical, so identical… So boring and lame… She wanted something different, something special…

Goku had been the only person that considered her emotions and her welfare above everything. Ever since they were little, Bulma had always been befriended to the goof. Sure, he was not the brightest bulb in the store, but at least he was caring, gentle and sincere. His naivety was probably what made him so innocent… and pure. She envied ChiChi in a way… Even she, Bulma, had had the chance to have something with Goku. But then again he wasn't what would truly please her whim. She knew now that she needed a man, not a boy… She needed someone reliable, someone she knew she could trust. And there was no longer such a person in her life to fit that description… She even wondered if Yamcha had been such a person in the first place, but she shoved the thought out of her head with a speed to be envied for. All she had right now were her friends… At least _they_ would never betray her…

With a sigh, she huddled into the velvety covers of her huge bed and turned to her side, cradling her head in her bent arm by the elbow between her and the pillow. She would have to deal with all of these emotions again tomorrow, she was sure. But right then all she needed was to sleep over it and try to regain some of her lost pride overnight.

A thought ran through her head before she had realized it – while she had been talking to the brute that found himself as a neighbour of hers now, she had forgotten completely about the events of the day. All she could think of was how to counter his insults, screams and annoying comments with matching ferocity at bay. She smirked. The bastard… Even if he would probably never admit it even if she tried to torture him into it, she knew that he had used that tone of his on her today because of her earlier breakdown. Maybe he wasn't much of a compassionate friend to comfort you while you cry, but he sure as hell could already figure how to push her buttons with expertise to stun you.

She tossed herself to her other side in her bed and sighed heavily again. How would she face her friends tomorrow and admit that they have been right all along? They had told her a million times, but she had never listened, she had always put her trust into Yamcha, time and time again, getting hurt over and over again. Holy shit, she even fought with ChiChi on the topic today, defending the bastard and letting him separate her from her dearest friend. And what for! A scumbag like him did not deserve to be honored in such a way, she deduced… Yet how could she possibly excuse to ChiChi? The raven-haired girl had quite a temper in such situations.

With a roll of her eyes towards the blinking dot of her alarm clock, Bulma decided that she would have to admit defeat to her friend, and try to put up with the roll of convincing, lectures and all the shit that would follow, only making her feel worse and smaller than ever. She just hoped she would have the will-power to listen to the brunette rubbing salt in the fresh wounds tomorrow… But if that was the price to pay for stupidity, she surely deserved it. That and she could hope she never had to endure it _ever_ again. She wasn't too sure if she would be able to.

She continued to ponder over other things, doing her best at having sleep fall over her, yet all her tries failed miserably, one after another. Well… Maybe she would be able to sleep tomorrow in Vegeta's car.

He would take her there by a car… right?

* * *

She said her good-byes to her early waking parents and shut the door quietly after herself.

When she turned around she found a stunning sight before her. She lost her firm hold on her backpack, as well as on her bottom jaw as she noticed the dark indigo coloured Lamborghini Diablo GT, with an impatient driver behind the steering wheel waiting for her to arrive, drumming his fingers against the soft-looking fabric embracing the wheel. She fought to regain composure and picked her backpack up and swallowed slowly before making her way to her new neighbour, who seemed to lose more and more of his precious patience with every single second she lingered at the threshold of her house.

The door slid upwards and almost made her swoon. She was not a freak on the topic of cars, but damn it, this was not a car! This was something… _more than **just a car**_! It was like a living, breathing baby, whose engine was purring gently.

She slid in the passenger's seat and hugged her backpack, almost in fear that the comfy leather might devour her into the heavenly vehicle. She had a weakness for sports cars that Yamcha would never possibly understand. Was that too tomboyish?

She heard the lingering words of the last verse of a song she had never heard before, 'If you choose to pull the trigger, should your drama prove sincere, do it somewhere far away from here!' She grimaced at the fancy audio system of the car which had nothing to do with how much she envied him for having such a car all to himself.

"No wonder you have such a sour expression on your face. Jeez, is everything you listen to so… brutal?" She tried to begin a conservation all the while trying to ignore the fact she was sitting in a Lamborghini Diablo GT, a car an edition limited to 80 of those babies only, not to mention how much it most certainly cost. Was it necessary to say that was a fact one can hardly ignore? Vegeta threw her a malignant glare.

"I have not agreed to take you there only to have you criticize my taste in music," he said and with that—for him—the topic was quite closed. The passenger door slid closed as if it was a raindrop that was gracefully dripping down the smooth surface of the window during the gentle spring drizzle that resurrected the whole nature. Bulma blinked slowly and looked forward as the engine purred slightly louder and the teen pulled out of the driveway in the direction Juuhachi had pointed out for him yesterday at school.

"It was just an innocent comment, jeez…" Just as she said that, the next part of the following song was screamed as if directly into her ears.

'Fuck your God, your Lord, your Christ! He did this! Took all you had and left you this way; Still you pray, never stray, never taste of the fruit, never thought to question _why_!' Bulma bit on her lip as she pondered over the phrase. As deaf as she was towards that kind of things, she could not help but apply the lyrics to the current state of her life. What had she done to have this situation take over her? 'It's not like you killed someone! It's not like you drove a hateful spear into his side! Praise the one who left you broken down and paralyzed; He did it all for you!'

Vegeta's head was moving barely visibly to the beat of the song, a wistful look in his obsidian orbs. She almost caught herself doing so as well. Hell, his Weltansicht might not be as bad as she had initially supposed.

She cared too much about insignificant things for her own good. She never wanted to answer the plaguing question… 'Why?' She always dismissed everything that made her own little world shake. She liked being ignorant; she preferred it to being hurt. Yet her ignorance proved to be just as painful in times like these, when her carelessness made such messes. She felt stupid… and the thought of the previous night only made her squirm uncomfortably in her seat when she recalled the way she had burst in tears in Vegeta's arms the previous day.

She took a side-glance at him. His firm strong jaw-line and stern expression were making him look older than he actually was. His lively flame-hair was as spiky as ever, even though she doubted he ever did anything special to keep it that way. His eyes were dull, his gaze vacuous, unreadable. She wondered why it was that she could find nothing to hint he had ever been a child which couldn't take care of himself… There was always something left behind in people, if even just a hint of a trace of their childhood… Why couldn't she find one in him? It was weird…

"If you keep staring, you'll have to pay a fee for the next ten minutes," he informed her in a cold distant voice that brought her back to reality with a start. She shook her head and looked away. She decided it was not quite the right time to start an argument she wasn't really willing to participate in. She didn't get much sleep last night as it was, but it refused to honour her with a nap even now. Her discomfort was obvious, yet Vegeta was oblivious to it. He was too caught up in watching the road. Which she was quite thankful for, as he would have noticed the pained expression etched onto her features as she continued to mull over nonsensical matters.

Bulma informed him how to get to the villa and continued to daze off in her weird delirium—neither asleep nor awake. Vegeta decided with an indifferent scowl she was not in the mood to argue so early in the morning, perhaps. 'Thank God. I thought I'd never live the day she would be quiet…' he mused while he took a sharper turn.

Bulma's ears perked up as she heard the same song from yesterday, yet this time she had caught it from the beginning. 'Don't fret, precious; I'm here…' She stared at the stereo and blinked slowly. This band she was definitely starting to like, for some unfathomable reason.

The trip was quite a quiet one, if you ignored the metal that blared from the speakers of the aerial—as Bulma referred to it in her mind—car. They soon arrived ('Duh!' Bulma thought, 'With that car what else should I have expected?') They got out and Vegeta pushed a button on his small remote and, with an assuring beep from the expensive vehicle's alarm, they made their way inside where the whole gang was having the morning coffee and most of them looked like they have just been forced out of bed, most likely—as Bulma presumed—by ChiChi.

"Bulma!" Goku exclaimed and jumped up to hug his friend as if they hadn't last seen each other in less than twenty-four hours.

Vegeta meanwhile made his way to the table and sat next to Juuhachi, snatching Goku's untouched mug of coffee and pulling it in front of himself. He put his car keys in a chest pocket and zipped it closed, after which fishing in another and pulling a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of it. Juuhachi glared at him with her cold azure eyes while he thumbed the pack open.

"You can't smoke here," she informed him in a venomous tone. He acted as if he didn't hear a word she said and pulled a cigarette out of the pack and put it into his mouth, cupping his hands while he lit it with the second object. Her gaze hardened while she observed how the lighter landed on the table with a careless toss and the pack slid its way on the horizontal tablecloth-less surface right after it. The teen fetched the mug with his free hand, exhaling the toxic smoke smugly.

"Why would you think that?" he asked sarcastically referring to the lit cigarette in his hand.

"Yes, you can, but I won't let you! Go out and smoke your damn lungs dry elsewhere! I will not tolerate—" But he cut her quite short.

"Want a smoke?" He offered her the pack with a suggestive quirk of a dark eye brow. The blonde dithered a second and looked spitefully at him, as if the mere speculation she was a smoker insulted her. He didn't move, just looking expectantly at her. She growled and snatched it, going through the same drill he did. He acknowledged his victory with a smug smirk as he exhaled another puff of smoke.

"Fuck you…" she muttered under her breath as slowly blew out as well.

"You'd wish that, wouldn't you?" He smirked impishly at her. Juuhachi made a matching expression, her hand feeling the little cylinder like a natural continuation of her wrist. Now that was one of the members of this tight little clique that he could hardly grow tired of. This petite little female had a temper to match his—in most aspects anyway. Or at least it appeared so at first sight. Perhaps he'd need to investigate further…

"I promised my brother I'd stop smoking," she stated nonchalantly, ignoring the disappointed expressions on her friends' faces.

"And I care, because…?" She threw him another spiteful look and then gave a single-shouldered shrug.

"Actually, neither do I."

"That's quite better." Vegeta smirked as he took a big sip of the strong coffee, having the dark liquid leave a burnt trace down his throat. Now that was exactly what he needed. He finally felt ready for a day with a whole bunch of losers surrounding him. Well, what could he say? Coffee was just another sinful habit of his endless list of such…

"Whoa, Vegeta, your car rocks my world!" Maron squealed and latched onto the teen's neck. It was disheartening how much she resembled an octopus from a cartoon sometimes… He pushed her roughly back and glared daggers at her for almost choking him with his coffee.

"So you finally picked it up from the garage?" Goku butted in—obviously interested—after having just taken a peak at the vehicle outside. Bulma followed him suit, with her head kept low against her collarbone, not wishing to face her friends. Without her boyfriend by her side, arriving here with the newest jerk to attend their peaceful little group and already cause chaos into it, she felt humiliated beyond belief.

"Yup," Vegeta noted with fake enthusiasm. He took another dip of the cigarette while staring into blank space. Goku took another glance over his shoulder at the car from the window behind their backs. With a huge grin he gave his thumbs up at the glaring Vegeta, who just shook his head and muttered something incoherent that disturbingly resembled like 'I'm surrounded by idiots…'

"Aren't you afraid that someone might try to steal it in school or something? It's quite an expensive and nice car," Krillin said as he sat at the table as well.

"Let them try." The spiky-haired boy inhaled from his cigarette again. "I'll twist the hand they used to touch it so badly no doctor will be able to twist it back to its goddamn joint." Krillin paled at the answer and quickly took a sip of his coffee, trying to shake off the subject.

Through the whole morning exchange Bulma kept her silence—trying to be lower than the grass—looking out at the woods in the back of the villa with longing. She didn't want to stay there, with all of them around her… She felt as if her place wasn't there; right then it truly wasn't, in her opinion.

ChiChi noted her friend's discomfort and pondered to herself what could've happened to have Bulma so fidgety but otherwise did not speak on the matter, deciding that the lavender-haired girl would tell her if she thought it was something worth discussing.

However, as the minutes passed, her long-time friend did not even utter a word. The brunette sighed in exhaustion. She had no clue what was wrong with Bulma today, not talking to anyone at all and everything… Was she still mad because yesterday's argument? ChiChi had thought Bulma cleverer than that.

"Hey, B, how did it feel riding in such a luxury car?" she turned to the girl in question suddenly, snapping her out of her delirium. The girl stared dumbly back at her. No 'I told you so' nor 'didn't I tell you I was right? I told you, didn't I? I told you I was right, but you wouldn't listen, would you'? Was she missing something? A sneer, perhaps, a jeer, an insult?

"It wasn't much of a long ride here anyway… But it was a nice feeling, yeah." The inheritress tried to force grin on her numb facial features.

"Any new projects you'd like to show off with?" ChiChi urged on, seeing that the way the conversation was heading it had no future. It was apparently working—her little plan that was—as the Bulma's eye brows immediately narrowed over her sapphire orbs.

"What do you mean "new projects to show off with"? When was the last time I showed off! I _don't_ show off!" The heiress to the biggest corporation in the whole world lifted her nose up in a snobbish manner which suited her social status quite well if you thought about it.

"Sure you don't, B." Juuhachi butted in as well, putting her cigarette out and taking the last sip of her mug. By the time Vegeta was already on his second cigarette. Maron glared at him and sneezed. She was allergic to the smoke and did her very best to hint him that… but he didn't really care enough to pay her any heed. He paid absolutely no attention to her, even when she tried to nudge him out of it.

"What the!" The heiress sounded quite offended as her head whipped towards her blonde friend. "You _too_? How dare you?"

"The snob's stirred! Save the women and the children first!" Vegeta commented sarcastically, making her head turn in his direction this time, glaring venomous daggers at him and probably hoping he'd drop dead any second now.

"Ha-ha-ha! Very funny! Remember you are _still_ indebted to me, bastard! If it wasn't for me you had _no_ chance of getting here!" she snapped at him, her cheeks flushing in anger. His smirk widened as he put his smoke out as well, squashing it against the glass ashtray violently, as if mimicking what he could do to her both verbally and physically. Or that was how Bulma understood it anyway. And she didn't like it.

"Says who? Besides, don't underestimate my orientating abilities, woman. I can be quite better than you probably expect me to… in more than one meaning of the phrase." He grinned wickedly at her and she blinked a few times, trying to blink her blush away, understanding too well for her liking what other aspect to his words there could be.

"Come on, Vegeta; I'll show you your room." Juuhachi pulled him by the elbow before the fight could go on any longer than her tolerance could take and before her prey could flirt any more with one of her best friends.

Little did everyone else know the blonde and the ditz of a Bulma-look-alike had begun an unvoiced competition between each other – which one of them would have Vegeta first! The winner got the grand-prize – Vegeta himself. The loser… Well, the loser had to stare helplessly while the winner made out with the prize. It was quite a nice competition now, was it not? Yet neither of them considered Vegeta's say in the matter and completely forgot he had such in the first place.

Once most of the gang was outside considering plans for the day ChiChi sighed and turned to look directly at Bulma, finally getting the privacy she had longed for the entire morning.

"I'm really sorry about all of this, B. You act as if I wanted for my premonition to come out true!"

"Well, since you made it very clear to me how stupid I was for not listening to you on Friday, how was I supposed to know what you wanted to actually say?" the other girl tried to defend herself, causing a ugly scowl to twist her friend's face.

"Bulma, I have no idea what's up with you ever since yesterday! I understand you're angry with Yamcha for cheating, it's only human. Goddamn it, even _I_ have the urge to march out that door, to find him and to wring his precious neck right this instant. He did damn right not to come here, for otherwise he would've probably been used as a darts target. I'm quite sure we'll all come out winners if that's what we have to shoot at. Anyway…" Bulma smiled slightly the last comment. "No matter how upset you are, _ever_, how can you _possibly_ think I would want to spite you in such a moment? I'm your best friend! Not a predator who wants to tear you apart, jeez…" she muttered, shaking her head in dejection for being so underestimated, and was about to leave when Bulma latched onto her neck and refused to move.

"ChiChi!" the heiress wailed in despair. "I'm so sorry… I've… I've completely… Damn it, I can't even say what I want to!" she yelled at no one in particular. The raven-haired girl sighed and put a hand on her friend's head, an unsteady smile gracing her own lips.

"That's okay, B. I understand… You must be confused now. But don't worry. We're all here to love you and support you!" she commented cheerfully, making her acquaintance smile through the tears that have begun cascading down her cheeks. "Er, well, maybe except for Mister I'm-such-a- big-shot-and-you-should-all-fall-on-your-knees-in-my-presence-or-you-shall-be-beheaded-by-my-Royal-assassins and Miss Prissy-Sissy-Maron… But neither of them really counts in the gang, so, yeah. All of us will support you!" She grinned widely and Bulma laughed at the definition of Vegeta ChiChi had made. She didn't have the heart to tell her friend that yesterday Vegeta was by far not the jerk he appeared usually. Besides, ChiChi looked a bit too fond of hating Vegeta… and the feeling looked quite mutual…

The girl even let herself drift off in thought for a little, wondering whether he was such a jerk at all. Maybe it was just a mask to protect a more sensitive part of him from the cruel world around? Or maybe that was just the way he was? Or was it not? Maybe he had, like she presumed yesterday, all childish innocence beaten out of him forcefully some long time ago?… She would probably never know.

"Oh, ChiChi, thank you so much for being here for me! I don't know what I could possibly do without you by my side! You're truly my outer strength, girl! Don't you dare to ever leave me!"

"What are you saying, Bulma Briefs?" ChiChi pushed her away fast, glaring in a mother-like fashion at her. "Are you trying to tell me you think I will be unfaithful to you?" The girl sustained the comment '-like Yamcha was' because right then was not the quite correct time to remind her friend of her boyfriend's cheating nature. "If you ever dare say that again, I'll bitch-slap you in the head! Did I make myself clear?" Bulma's grin widened once again, making her facial muscles hurt with the effort. She paid no heed to them. She nodded enthusiastically and the other girl's expression brightened as well. "Very well then! Now let's go and see what Juuhachi has for us! She said we would have quite some fun here!"

Both of them made their way outside, where everyone had gathered to look out at the perfect scenery, commenting on the forest animals around them, exciting things to do or perhaps just the way to the nearest shop where they could find beer and get wasted, just because they could.

* * *

The whole weekend the teenagers spent in the following activities: going to the lake for an unfathomable reason, returning soaked to the bone to the villa house, lighting the fire-place and drying their drenched clothes there. Then ChiChi would make some hot tea and some cookies to fill their growling stomachs with, a long-line forming in front of the bathroom with no allowance for the couples to go in together. Juuhachi claimed sex was forbidden on her grounds. Then they would talk in front of the fireplace for countless hours until late hours of the night, after which all of them split up and went to their rooms for a nap before the next day.

Everyone had a great time together…

… Except for Vegeta.

He stubbornly refused to participate in the conversations and neither Juuhachi nor Maron could pull him into it. When that time came, the teen just marched out on the balcony of his room and probably smoked his lungs dry. No one paid attention to that fact and Juuhachi tired to ignore it as well. Only Bulma failed to soothe her curiosity after Goku returned empty-handed from his pursue of his best friend. The tall male claimed his spiky-haired friend refused to come down even for dinner. It was already Sunday night and they would be leaving early tomorrow morning. They'd split up to gather their school stuff from their houses and then meet again at the school. It was quite a nice plan, now was it not?

Bulma slipped out before anyone could notice her missing and made her way towards the room Juu said she had put Vegeta to sleep in. She couldn't help her stirring curiosity and she would pay the fees for it later. Right then she needed to talk to him… Just to get some sort of…verbal fight? Perhaps she needed something a little bit different from her caring loving friends? She did not know… It was just something about the strange-haired teenager that attracter her to him…in a very disturbing way. It was a strange power that was not in her reach, not hers to control. That was why she just obeyed and pushed the door open without bothering to knock. She wondered if he would've actually heard her anyway.

She found the room empty, as she had expected to find it. It was rather chilly and she could guess where the occupant of the premise was by the gentle swirling of the curtains.

She made her way to the balcony's sliding door to find the teenager in question with his Discman present in his hand which hung lifelessly by the side of his body over the edge of the balcony railing, on which he was sitting. It did not look like a comfortable position to take, yet he seemed to have no problems with it.

The lavender-haired female planned on sneaking towards the chair next to him without getting noticed earlier than she had reached it, but the damned skater appeared to have a better guard than she had given him credit for.

"Stop brooding, woman; I am quite aware you are there;" he said in a nonchalant tone and she snorted like a spoilt child being denied one of its whimsical wishes. He had just ruined her perfect fun. With a sigh of exhaustion, she sat on the chair as she had intended, looking up in the dark sky, which was illuminated only by the soft glow of the moon and the brightly shining dots of the stars above. She had always loved admiring the sky.

When she was aware he wasn't in the mood to begin a conversation with her, she decided to take on the challenge and try to start one herself.

"You didn't join us down there last night and you aren't attending tonight either. What's wrong? Not your style?" He didn't answer; instead he yawned widely, not bothering to cover his mouth as he did so, vacuous gaze never removing from the inky waters of the lake illuminated by the faint light of the moon in the distance. She guessed that was not, definitely not a topic he'd like to discus with her. She tried again. "Juuhachi seems to show interest in you. It has been quite a long time since _she_ had been on a male pursue," she stated as-a-matter-of-factly, watching his face carefully out of the corner of her eye for his reaction. He threw her an indifferent gaze and then tore his attention away from her again.

"So I guessed as well."

"Maron has taken a challenge to get into your pants before Juu does," she continued to nudge in the topic for no apparent reason whatsoever. She didn't know why she was even doing it… She just didn't feel like leaving, maybe…?

"Yes, I noticed," he muttered out in his casual tone.

"So why don't you act upon it? Two attractive girls are fighting over you? Isn't that an ego-booster? Not that you don't find ego boosters in most things you do, but anyway…" And so Bulma decided to turn to the only tactic that always worked on that guy—she tried to pick up a fight with him. However, her attempt failed so miserably if it had been materialistic, it would've hit the ground with a deafening crash.

"I could damn well care less what they do. If you have failed to notice this by now, I don't give a damn about them."

"Doesn't being a smoker get in your way of being a body-builder? Smoking is quite not good for your health, you know. You can get cancer by smoking. It is written on every pack, if you have not noticed." She was him as if he was curious two-year-old which was discovering the simple everyday miracles of the world around it every second of every day. He threw her a death glare and sighed exhaustedly at her.

"Woman, I can take care of myself. Stop pushing your nose into my business! It is none of your concern. If you're looking for a damn fight, go bash your worthless boyfriend or something and leave me be!" Oh, that was a low blow she hadn't really anticipated.

"He is not my boyfriend anymore. And besides, if it bugs _you_, it makes it my business, for I have to quite get even at you for all the stupid verbal spars _you_ start up with me when _I_ am not in the mood for one," she reasoned. Logically, her speculations were quite correct, though she wasn't really sure why she was bothering. She just wanted to bug the daylights out of him and try to make him feel just as _he_ made her feel in the worst possible of moments. But it seemed not to work when she was the one doing it. He was far too uncooperative to do anything at the moment, much less argue or reason back. He looked frankly exhausted.

"Whatever…" was his last mutter before he pushed the play button on the machine in his hands, dismissing her completely. Vegeta was never a talkative person, but none of the usual anger that accompanied his 'garrulity' was evident anymore in that moment. He seemed like a hollow shell of himself compared to what he showed everyone else. Was she currently becoming privy to something she shouldn't be? He was no less rude than usual, but… There was something far more depressing about the expression his face was etched into than at any other point she had seen him.

"What's wrong?" she couldn't help herself but ask. Curiosity killed the cat, they say.

"None of your damn concern! Stop asking me and just fucking leave me alone already. I want to have some peace here. What are you, blind?" He jumped off the railing onto the marble balcony floor and made his way towards the room only to have Bulma following him closely behind.

"What did they do to have you like that?"

"No one did anything to me, alright! As if anyone can do anything that would matter to me anyway… Just leave, your presence is _not_ wanted!" He emphasized on the "not wanted" part coldly, hoping she would hear what he was saying and take the hint to _finally_ leave the damn room. Hell, why did she have to be so irritatingly stubborn?

"Then what happened? I think if you talk to Juu, she could—" _The nerve of that woman!_

"Why do all of you think she is so fucking perfect for me, eh! First Kakarott, then his harpy makes remarks about her and me in my presence and now you! Will you drop it? I don't appreciate you people trying to act familiar with me, because you _aren't_, alright? Get that trough your thick skull," he seethed through his clenched teeth

"What's so bad about you and Juu? She's a really nice person to all of her boyfriends. She might not look like it, but she's quite caring and considerate, not to mention—"

"_SHUT UP ALREADY_!" he bellowed insanely at her, a vein throbbing violently in an ugly purplish colour on his forehead. "I grew tired of this conversation a long time ago! This has nothing to do with you, got it! And stop trying to play a match-maker; I don't want to even think about her right now, because of the fucking bitch that she keeps reminding me of." He froze when he realized that it had slipped off his tongue. Bulma stared blankly at him and cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"Who does she remind you of, Vegeta?" she inquired, as if she could possibly have an answer to that. If she had had any chances at getting anything out of him tonight, her luck had just run out.

"No one," he snapped coldly, a solid finality in his voice. "Leave. Now," he ordered curly, turning his broad back to her.

She sighed, but did as told. Retreating silently, she stole a glance at him as he threw himself on the bed and stared up at the ceiling through the pitch-black darkness that had flooded the room. She made her way back to her friends, who were laughing, talking and just having fun in general. They have started playing games again and she would have hated to miss that for anything in the world. She couldn't help but wonder… who was the girl Juu reminded Vegeta of? Speaking of which, where was she?

"Juu went to pick something that could suit like a blindfold!" Krillin informed her as if reading her mind. Bulma's face beamed brightly.

"I love that game! Whee! I can't believe we're going to play!"

There had always been a childish part of her that she would hate herself if she let it die. She liked to play fool, but most of all, she loved childish games. They made her remember. They reminded her of sweet childish innocence and ignorance… Something she would be never able to regain. Shaking her head, she joined her friends and sat herself on the comfy couch while listening about the last training Goku and Krillin had and how badly both of them have fallen off their boards.

* * *

Back in the unlit room, the subtle teen glared at the ceiling as if it was guilty for the development of things in his life. He took his phone out of his back pocket and glared at the LCD screen, re-reading for the hundredth time his last text message received. He growled and threw the device against the wall in a fit of mad rage. Surprisingly, it did not crumble to pieces; its battery fell off and the thing shut down, collapsing against the cold wooden floor with a dull thump.

Vegeta could care less. He was too furious with the memory of the SMS he had received to give a damn about anything.

"Fucking Hailie… Wouldn't they all _just leave me be_! Why is everyone so _damn_ bent on telling me how to live my life!" he screamed at no one in particular, his outraged yell resounding off the thick walls of the premise.

Little did he know that a certain blonde girl watched the whole display from the crack made by the unclosed door…

* * *

_A/N: I had planned to have quite a longer chapter up, but decided to divide it in two for I would need quite some more time to write the whole chapter… Hope you don't mind. It was quite an uneventful chapter, but I promise next one will be a killer. Mehehe… I plan on making a **lot **of things to happen in one chapter. And that is the next one. Five is a nice number, don't you think? Hehehe… Please review! That would have the next chapter out in the blink of an eye. Otherwise I will take forever to get inspiration, knowing myself and all… -.- Yours sincerely, Dark Hope Assassin._


	5. Ch05: School Fights

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Five: School Fights Make My World Revolve_

The next day the gang headed home early in the morning. But Vegeta's car, or Vegeta himself, wasn't there. He had probably decided that sleep was not quite an option yesterday evening and took off while the others were sleeping. That or he was mad at them. Both were good enough reasons for a person such as Vegeta. This man was still an enigma to all teens. Yet some thought of it sexy and exciting, while others claimed it arrogant behaviour and self-conceit. Choose for yourself which one is more suiting.

Monday was always a bitch. One had just grown a little used to slacking on studies and Monday waltzes in and reminds you painfully that school is quite a permanent part of your life. Let's just say that this particular day was a pain in the ass for some and more like a blessing from idiotic parents for others.

"Can you actually believe my mother tried to put me into some idiotic pink pants? I certainly can't. Not to mention how I yell at my mother every time she buys something _pink_ for me, since I tell her all the time that I absolutely _hate_ that colour. And you know what she told me? 'It's modern to walk around like that nowadays, Bulma'! The _nerve_ of that woman!" The lavender-haired girl continued to rant until she and Juuhachi had reached the school gate, waiting for the others to arrive.

"Are you sure you haven't drunk any coffee this morning?" Juuhachi inquired with a weird look present on her face. Bulma rolled her eyes at her blonde friend and glared daggers at her.

"What the Hell was _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing in particular…" The other girl averted her eyes to the approaching flame-haired teen on his board, pushing himself rather roughly forward. He was still pissed, she could tell. She just wondered whether she could leech off who this girl he had cursed was. She had never heard the name before, but it definitely did not sound like important person.

"Are you trying to tell me that _you'd_ get in those pants if you were _me_? Or even yourself?"

"Hello, guys!" Maron greeted, making a flashy arrival. Or at least that's what she called it when she startled people with her high-pitched voice from behind. The two girls whirled around to glance at her. Both pair of eyes twitched as they noticed what the girl was wearing. They quickly looked away from her, dismissing her voicelessly. She seemed not to notice as she was waving at various people passing by them, as if it had been forever since she had last been to school.

"Are those the pants your mother wanted to get you in?" Juuhachi asked in a low voice so the ditz behind them wouldn't hear her.

"Exactly the same, yes."

"I see why you bitch so much about it then…" The lighter haired girl admitted. Bulma nodded vigorously in an I-told-you-so manner. Maron squeaked when Vegeta finally arrived on the spot the clique used to gather before entering. Perhaps the poor mentally handicapped creature didn't believe that Vegeta would get so easily befriended with them… and maybe she had a quite good reason to doubt him… Why was he there anyway? If you asked him, however, he'd certainly answer that the "get-together-before-school" was such a pointless ritual, not to mention irritating and time-wasting. But he had no other option now, did he? Being a part of their clique and all… Or maybe not? But then again who actually cared? He was there, wasn't he? And, actually, that's all that really mattered. And it was all that truly annoyed him.

He had never been eager to be in someone else's clique. You see, usually being the one to be chased and not to chase others, he enjoyed the sort of teenage celebrity that he was. It was quite a beneficial position to have. And putting up with others' rules wasn't what he usually did… but then again, the richest girl in the Universe was in his clique, the Queen of the Harpies, and the blonde whose name he had difficulty pronouncing. He could find himself tolerating the rest because of the aforementioned…

'And just what the hell is wrong with me?' he screamed at himself in his head, wondering what kind of mental damage he must have sustained to have such stupid, aimless thoughts and mental arguments. Perhaps spending so much time with those fools _was_ a very, _very_ bad idea…

"So, are we going in or what?" ChiChi asked when she and Goku joined in after Krillin. Yamcha was no where in sight. Not that anyone planned on waiting for him. The poor boy had mainly been tolerated mostly because he had been Bulma's boyfriend. He had never truly managed to be one of the crowd, being as apathetic as he was and all…

"The weekend was so wonderful, guys! I suggest we do that again some other time, eh?" Bulma chimed in. Everyone (except for Vegeta, of course - always the one to split from the group) nodded at the prospect, going into a short fit of daydreams which led them far away from the repulsing thought of oncoming school day. The rest of the way the gang spent in excited chatter about the lake, gossiping, school, grades, cursing teachers and such—the everyday things we all subject ourselves to, whether willingly or not. Vegeta walked in the back with a pissed expression on his face, looking at the ground as he walked. He did not need to look up to notice Juuhachi falling behind to catch up with him.

"Hey, you ok?" She asked quietly, not to alert anyone she was gone. She'd rather prefer to give him some privacy over the matter as he did not seem very eager to talk to her in the first place.

"What could possibly make you think I'm not?" he snapped back at her and pulled the familiar pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He desperately needed a smoke—his nerves were _so_ strained. He needed to busy his hands, his mind with something other than the topic that kept clouding his mind like obtrusive sultry smoke… Otherwise he'd probably go berserk, he thought knowing himself.

"Maybe we should start with the fullness under your eyes? Or it could be how worked up you look? No, no, wait! Maybe the fact you left my place before we even got up? What's going on?" she demanded, a slightly concerned look flashing in her brilliant cold eyes which he missed completely. He threw her a dismissive side-glance before cupping his hands and involuntarily letting her catch a glimpse at the darkened skin of his knuckles while he lighted the cigarette.

"You think you're so smart and observant, don't you?" he hissed at her through tightly clenched teeth as he exhaled the smoke, a small amount of bliss evident in his dark orbs. God… that felt _so_ good… And then Juuhachi smirked arrogantly at him, making him feel even more irritated than he already did. He hated being patronized and that was just what she was shamelessly trying to do to him right then and there—patronizing him, as if she was any better than him!

"That's what I am, I needn't think about it—it's a fact. Now are you going to tell me _now_ what made you so freaking pissed off at the whole world in general or I'll need to leech off some more info before we get to that?" she asked casually, making him raise an eye brow at her as he took another dip from his smoke.

"And you think that I am going to share any information about my personal business with you because…?" He quirked an eye brow as well. By the time Bulma had begun throwing weird glances over her shoulder at the two in the back. What could be so personal to make the talk so low? Not that she was even remotely interested in _their_ business!

"Who's the Hailie chick?" the blonde blurted out at once.

Vegeta began coughing the smoke he had inhaled a second ago at the question he had been asked. When he got his composure—and dignity—back, he stomped his foot in front of Juuhachi un-ceremoniously and growled at her while glaring intensely at the azure orbs in his front.

"Stay the fuck out of my business, got it, _bitch_!" he emphasized and hissed the last word out, storming through the school double-doors.

The rest of the clique threw a weird glance at Juuhachi, who just shrugged at them. All of them quickly got rid of the topic, getting involved in pleasant chit-chat before the bell rang.

All of them except for a certain lavender-haired girl, who had instantly decided to make use the name she had accidentally heard while… well, eavesdropping.

* * *

The group scattered towards their rooms and Bulma made her way to the math cabinet (she still had to grow used to the fact that this year she actually had a _math's cabinet_). She noticed Vegeta was already there, staring off in space out the window facing the front yard. She quietly sat by him and stared out as well, pretending—and quite well in her own opinion—that she was interested in whatever ensued outside the building.

"Came to bug me on the same topic, eavesdropping wench?" he breathed out in exhaustion, glaring immensely at the girl in front of him. She faked a gasp and pulled her hand over her heart in a melodramatic fashion, staring disbelievingly at him, as if she had been accused of the biggest sin, and hadn't committed it in the first place.

"How dare you speak like that to me? Do you know that I am the heiress and soon-to-be President of Capsule Corporation, the hugest company in the whole wide world? Have you no—"

"Did you?" He was growing irritated with her self-centered monologues every time she found herself in 'trouble' and was in the mood of screwing around like a complete idiot. She looked innocently at him then grinned as she said,

"Yeah, that's why I'm here."

"Well, then, you can go and shove the topic up your ass for all I care." Her face turned serious at his comment. Getting even one word out of him would be a challenge; she was certain… which was just another reason for her rising excitement.

"Who's Hailie?"

"No one!" he raised his voice at her, his eyes widening in intimidation. It did not have the same success it did with the idiotic look-alike of the woman in front of him. She did not budge from her spot. She continued to stare right at him, her eyes gleaming with intrigue at him.

"Same no one Juu reminds you of?"

"You're impossible!" Vegeta threw his hands up in the air, utterly dejected with the new people he had 'befriended' over such a short time. Maybe getting to know them was an even worse idea than he had initially thought this morning… "You remember such insignificant shit I say!"

"Come on, answer me!" She insisted in a slightly whiny voice. '_It suits her perfectly'_, he thought darkly, glaring at her soft infantine-lined face.

"Over my dead body, bitch. You aren't the one who has the right to demand anything around here." He was fast getting exasperated with the conversation which was leading nowhere, in his humble opinion. He was not answering her as long as there was a single breath in his body and she appeared to be bent on asking on anyway! How impossible she actually was—it was beyond his imagination! It was appalling how much she reminded him of himself…

"I guess that should be a yes." She grinned again. His jaw tightened and a—at least for the female—satisfying low growl emanated from his throat, affirming her suspicions.

"You want to know who she is? I'll tell you who she is." Bulma stared expectantly at him as he made that statement. She couldn't believe her luck—it had actually been quite easy pursuing him to do something he didn't want to do! Maybe she had more power over him than she was giving herself credit for! "She's someone I wish not to talk neither with you nor your blond-haired witch of a friend, not to mention Kakarott's harpy or _anyone in the fucking world_ for that matter. She is something I _do not wish_ to remember. Something I have _never_ brought up and will _kindly_," the word dripped with sarcasm so thick it could be sliced with a knife, if there had been one in handy, "ask of you not to bring up _either_. Is that too hard for you to comply to, your 'highness'?" By the time he was yelling deafeningly at her. Most of the heads turned to them, then back to their interlocutors, discussing how easy to anger the new guy was and deciding that the best course of action was to keep out of his way. Quite a smart decision, actually.

_Well, maybe not…_ Bulma mused to herself disdainfully in relation to her earlier thoughts over the teen.

The lavender-head stared vacuously at him. She had never actually seen Vegeta so worked up about anything. Yes, he was quite a temperamental jerk, but in the little time she'd known him, he'd never been as serious about anything. It seemed like the topic was really a quite unpleasant one and she did not wish to be the one to stir the monster inside him when it came word of this Hailie girl. Her curiosity probably wouldn't let her sleep a day or two, but she'd have to live with it. It was definitely better than permanently denying her the right of being in the most famous skater of all times' good books.

"Okay," she blurted out as suddenly as her pause had occurred.

"Okay _what_?" he snapped again, whipping his head around to face her again.

"Obviously, you are so goddamn worked up that you're paying no attention what you say yourself. You 'asked' me not to mention her, and I said 'okay'. It means, 'alright, I won't', translated to simple English for your also just as simple brain," she retorted briskly, getting angry herself for having to explain her actions—it was something she hated doing, along with repeating herself.

His expression turned neutral again and he whipped his head to another direction again, refusing to face her for a moment. The argument was over and he didn't plan on continuing it right then. He wasn't even in the mood of complaining, damn it! He swore he would kill that bitch if he saw her any time soon…

"Why did you leave earlier?" Bulma did not plan on following the male's example. She needed to prod to the bottom of all this, even if she had to take the other way around it.

"The Juuhachi wench continued to push her nose into my business, just as you try to right now—"

"_I meant_," she cut him short before he could ramble on and on for the rest of the day over something that was of no interest to her, "at the villa house. Why did you leave before us?"

"You sound just like her!"

"I'm just asking, jeez!" Bulma threw her arms up defensively and crossed them over her chest after that. They kept silent for a minute or two. The rest of the class continued to speak in a high voice considering stupid topics. The sound they all created together was dreadful to listen to…

When he actually decided to open his mouth and answer her, Yamcha walked over to them an glared at both of them as if they were to be held responsible for all the misery in the world.

"Well, well, well… What do you know? Our two love doves decided to display their 'love' in public as well, eh?"

Both sitting teens' eye brows creased at the question. What the hell was the fool blabbering about?

"And then you dare to walk around and call _me_ a whore?" At this point, Bulma stood on her legs and glared at her now ex-boyfriend. She was ready to cry for another night straight but she wouldn't take anymore shit from that guy. And she definitely didn't plan listening to him accusing her of things she hadn't even done! It was _more_ than just preposterous! It was simply inane! _I mean—me and _Vegeta_? How whacked can you get?_

"First of all, I have _not_ called you anything like that in front of anyone…yet."

"But you thought it—"

"What I _think_ is neither your concern anymore, nor can you freaking _judge me_ about it! My thoughts are _my_ thoughts—something you will _never _have any control over! Am I clear?" She did not wait for him to answer. She was sure she didn't even want to hear his retort. "Second of all, don't you _ever_ dare to call _me_ a whore, you reeking of cheap feminine perfume idiotic fuck! How dare you blame me for the downfall of this pathetic relationship? Did I not give you enough? What more did you want from me?" she yelled at him and took a step closer to his face, her own twisted into an expression of pure rage. The bastard actually had the nerve to accuse _her_ of cheating? And cheating with whom? Vegeta? Now that was a laugh! She and Vegeta could _never_ be an item! It was a hilarious thought!

"Don't you play innocent with me, you damned witch! The second we broke up you ran right to _him_," he pointed his index-finger down at the sitting Vegeta who was glaring closely at him at the moment, "or will you deny?" he hissed at her. She was about to retort, but then the flame-haired teenager in question joined in, jumping angrily to his feet.

"Look here, brainless low-life of a spineless creature…" he began in an exhausted tone. Did those people have nothing better to do today than irritate him further? "I have heard quite enough of your pointless nonsense. How about you shut the hell up and leave both of us be, eh? Or maybe you are ready to accuse _me_ in the face, hm?" he stepped threateningly closer, slightly satisfied with the several inches he had grown over the summer—they made him and Yamcha to be just about the same height. He saw a shiver run down the other guy's spine at the proximity of their bodies.

It was a well known fact to Vegeta that Yamcha had always been terrified of his leader. It was the reason he had taken such a bold act in the first place. A malicious smirk took over his expression. That's right, he should be feared!

"You are no better than her, now are you?" His antagonist turned to him now, eyes sparking with emotion. "You accept every little whore that _I_ would reject just to prove me how better than me you are, don't you?"

"Yamcha, stop this before—"

"Oh?" Vegeta chuckled, cutting Bulma's voice of reason. This was heading straight for physical showdown and he wasn't about the let her ruin his chance of ventilating some of his frustrations over the damned day. And to think the damned week had only just begun! "I think our little insignificant flea over here has begun thinking way too high of itself, now hasn't it?" His smirk faltered and his face darkened dangerously. "You are _no_ competition for me, scum bag, and you never will be. I am, as I have proved in so little amount of time, a few levels higher than you are. Even your woman runs in my hands for comfort when you so blatantly and shamelessly cheat on her. Doesn't that tell you something about charming?"

"_Can it_! _Both of you_!" The males turned to the girl, who glared up at both of them. "Yamcha, you are in _no_ condition to judge anything I do! I have been faithful to you, as everyone who's looking at us right now can tell you!" The crowd began shifting and fidgeting when reminded eavesdropping was not very polite, especially in such situations. "And maybe you should really consider again how 'manly' you actually are when some guy waltzes in the school and in one week time becomes twice more popular than you will _ever_ be, whether you're considered a boyfriend of mine or not." She finished her tirade with a self-satisfied smirk. Yamcha's face twisted in rage.

"You insolent _bitch_!" he bellowed, taking a swing of his instinctively balled fist before he could realize what he was actually doing. His pride was severely damaged. He could do little to regain self-control before he attacked a defenseless girl. He hadn't meant for it to happen this way—perhaps it was just the fact he was spending too much of his free time with boys… Whatever it was, he couldn't stop his fist once he had sent it flying towards her face…

Bulma's mind registered the events too late to dodge the blow. She just clenched her eyes tightly shut and expected the throbbing pain in her nose to come. Yet it didn't. She opened an eye slowly, afraid he might be playing with her; only to find Vegeta's hand gripping at Yamcha's extended one, millimeters in front of her face.

"Try to touch anyone of my current surrounding and you die, dipshit." The dark teen seethed between his clenched teeth. The threat sounded like a real death sentence. Yamcha took another swing in his frenzied state at the other boy who easily dodged it. "Do that again and I might decide hurting you will do the trick better that words will." Before he knew it, however, a knee was brought to his solar plexus that made him bend by the waist in pain, caught slightly off-guard by the blow. The nerve of that weakling! Damn this all! He had always _known_ diplomacy was for weaklings!

"Do _not _dare to hit him!" Bulma growled as well, digging her filed nails into the attacker's cheek, slightly tearing the flesh open. He hissed in pain and his hand instantly found its way to the hurt area. It began throbbing immediately in intense pain.

"You hit me?" He stared wide-eyed, disbelieving at her. "How _could_ you _hit_ **_me_**!" He almost screeched, but caught himself in time and gripped at Bulma's wrists, straightening his hand for the blow he was going to deliver earlier before he had been so rudely interrupted. The whole class had gathered around the three of them by the time and no one cared enough to separate them. It was a show once in a lifetime. Yamcha rarely got in fights, but it was always quite fun, as he always picked on people way too much over his level.

Before he could hit the lavender-haired girlfriend of his, Vegeta finally set up straight and took a deep inhale as he jumped to his solid feet.

"You asked for it…" he muttered loudly kicking his foot hard against Yamcha's extended hand.

The following events happened way too fast for anyone's mind to register before the moment had passed away. The first thing everyone realized was the soul-piercing shriek that escaped Yamcha's mouth—it resounded eerily off the walls of the empty school halls and right into the math teacher's ears who was elbowing her way through the gathered crowd with immense difficulty. When she finally made it, in front of her eyes was revealed an atrocious picture which she would've preferred she would've never been witness to in all her thirty years of teaching. The transfer student's leg was raised to eye-level now and a wincing and wriggling boy lay sprawled on the ground, whose elbow seemed to have been kicked out of the joint. She squeaked and put her glasses on with shaking fingers.

"Miss Briefs! Mister Ouji! To the principle! Instantly! And do _not_ complain! Go! You!" She pointed at a puzzled student in the crowd. "Get the young man to the medical cabinet and see whether our school nurse can do anything about it." The obedient guy nodded once and got Yamcha to his feet, taking off in opposite direction of the math's cabinet.

Vegeta let his leg descend and rested it back against the marble floor as he looked haughtily at his teacher. With a wicked grin he remembered in what condition he had got that weakling's joint. Well, he still had not lost his touch! Besides, he had tried reasoning with the scum bag—it had resulted in absolutely no improvement. He hadn't been left with another choice. And he had actually tired to act _civilized_!

"Well, what are you two doing here? Off to the principle, you two!" the elder woman screamed at them both, shooing them out in direction of the place she wanted them so desperately to go off to. Perhaps she was afraid of Vegeta now… The boy grinned at the prospect. This school was so much fun!

"You went too far!" Bulma exclaimed once the door was closed. She scurried towards the principle's room with Vegeta right after her.

"He asked for it," he informed her nonchalantly, as if disjointing someone's elbow was something he did everyday. She was terrified by the idea that she wasn't really sure it _wasn't_ what he did all the time…

"You shouldn't have attacked him physically in the first place!" she continued to argue.

"It wasn't me who started it," he continued talking with the same bored tone. She was behaving as if she wasn't pleased that he had taught that bastard some manners!

"You got us in trouble!"

"Hello? He was not _my_ boyfriend, was he?" he reasoned wisely. Bulma threw him a malicious glare and stormed inside the principle's office.

Vegeta glared after her. What was up her ass? He just saved her ugly mug from being pounced on—_twice._ And that's the thanking he got? A huff and a haughty snort? Not to mention he surely got himself some solid detention for the rest of the week and only God knew what shit the idiotic principle would have him do. All because of her! He didn't even care for her a bean! Then why did he get himself in trouble by defending her? She always said she was old enough to take care of herself. If so, why did she not prove it?

A small voice in the back of his head reminded him that no matter how weak, any male was stronger than her at this age. She was small, short, fragile and a girl. Even if she was a tomboy, she was _still_ a non-experienced in physical fights girl. Words and arguments could have been her strength, but when fists and kicks came in view she was out of the picture. Besides, beating that weakling to a bloody pulp was what could've had him relieve some recent stress. It had been what he wanted too, after all. The simple remembrance of the sickening crack made him grin wickedly.

With the same arrogant smirk, the boy entered the lion's lair. He'd dismiss the woman's ungratefulness… for now. His expression faltered when he noticed the accusing glare she sent him from the corner of her eye; as if he had to act like he had not wanted to break the asshole's shoulder. Maybe he should have a second thought in mind before he did the Knight in Shining Armour act when she needed her ass saved next time?

_Ungrateful wench… _he huffed as he sat himself down next to the only girl whom he had protected and hadn't meant anything to him…

…but then again… Was he sure she meant _absolutely nothing_ to him?

* * *

_A/N: What's Bulma's problem? Who's Hailie? What detention will the two have served? Review to find out! _


	6. Ch06: Detention

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Six: Detention_

Vegeta sat himself in a cushion chair, glaring right into the young woman behind the desk that was actually their principle. She looked as if she had just graduated of University. Not to mention that with her outward immaturity she did not appear quite authoritative to anyone.

She looked up from what she was writing, as principles give you the impression they're always writing something while in the same time you're sure they do absolutely nothing before you come in, and she gave the two teenagers a coy glance as she put her small glasses down and sighed. Getting up from her seat and she stood in front of them against the desk, looking down at each of them before beginning a certain lecture on how they should and should not act among their school mates and whatnot; all in all, everything boring in the whole wide world would pour on them, they were sure. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she had that motherly look on her face as if they were her offspring and had done something irreparably wrong.

"Well? Care to explain what happened?" she asked, her penetrating emerald eyes serving only to Bulma's further discomfort and fidgeting. Vegeta sneered at the question and whipped his head away.

"No," he said sternly. Bulma threw an intense glare at him and nudged him in the ribs rather roughly. He didn't budge; neither did he look back to the elder woman. She just smiled at both of them. That was exactly why she loved her job. She felt like a teenager herself all over again, with their petty worries and problems with school authority, defiance of rules enforced on them and their communications and relationships between each other. Even though it wasn't too long ago that the principle had been a teenager herself, she was still melancholic over those wonderful, wonderful days…

"Actually you do not need to tell me. I thought I should just be polite with you – have no idea how fast news travel around here. Teachers are grown up teenagers who have always secretly wanted to gossip in their school years but have always held back for god knows what reasoning." She gave a light-hearted laugh, and pulled a strand of light auburn hair behind her ear. "I must say I'm not quite charmed at how brutally you have acted against a schoolmate of yours, Vegeta. What do you have to say for yourself?" she asked casually.

"Where did all the courtesy go? Where's the 'mister Ouji'?" he hissed venomously and glanced with annoyance at the young woman. She laughed lightly again and took her seat behind the desk yet again.

"Dear pupil," he grimaced at the way she addressed him, "all this courtesy is for the whacked teachers that have spent their whole life lecturing students that are now your uncles, aunts, parents and grandparents, probably; courtesy, as you called it, is for all of them who speak about themselves in third person and have nothing better to do or can't take control of a situation and that's why people get sent here, to me, as if I have no better work than thinking of punishments for naughty boy and girls." Both youngsters quirked their eyebrows at her. Was she new there? Neither of them had ever heard a principle talk like that about their colleagues. It was… so odd! "Don't stare at me as if I just grew a third hand from the head. I am not that much older than you are and school passion is still quite akin to me." Her warm smile made Bulma a little surer about all of this.

"You're trying to tell me you are going to punish me for breaking someone's arm? I twisted it out of the freaking joint."

"By the way you made that sound I get the feeling you _want_ to be punished, Vegeta." Her coy grin was already dancing on his nerves, Bulma realized at the pissed twitch of a muscle on his face.

"If you don't teach us in school crime pays, how can you possibly be certain that I won't turn into a mad psycho the moment I leave this building in the future? You'll be the one to blame that a mad psychopath is on the loose; you are aware, right?" he asked haughtily and crossed his arms over his muscular chest. Bulma blinked and looked away from him, as if she had thought something punishable… though it should be a crime she could so easily picture the flame-haired boy as a serial killer.

"Dear boy, I already told you that I am _aware_ of the situation the two of you found yourselves in," she reasoned and checked some papers in front of her. "I can call it self-defense if I like. But, as you said, you need to be taught that you can't twist someone's elbow out of the joint and get away with it. That's why the two of you will paint the reconditioned classrooms on the third floor. We have paint provided and everything that you may need. All you have to do is apply it. Today, after your classes are over, make sure the work's done and you'll be free for the rest of the day. That's all _I_ have to say. Have a nice day, darlings." She smiled warmly at the two of them and waved them off. Vegeta stared disbelievingly back at her.

"That's all?" he exclaimed dubiously. "All we have to do is just repaint some shitty rooms? Are you pulling my leg?"

"I meant what I said and I said what I meant. I am not swindling you, nor do I plan to. Now, shoo, off you go! I need some paperwork done here, so, be so kind as to leave. You have a class to attend, now don't you?" The principle pushed both of them out of the big wooden door and slammed it shut behind their stiffened with shock backs. Both looked unfocused at a point somewhere in the space in front of them, dazed, for a minute or two before they came to themselves.

"We slipped out easier than I thought," Vegeta commented with a slight smirk. Bulma huffed and made her way towards the math cabinet, having a scowling Vegeta on her tail soon after. What was so goddamn wrong with her? Did she need some sense beaten into her as well? He wondered as he followed back to the room where the grinning old hag thought she had triumphed over them. Poor her. How wrong she actually was she would probably never find out…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Why the pissed expression, B?" ChiChi asked interested. The girl didn't answer her. She just huffed again and made her way towards the lunch line. A nice cold apple juice was what she could use right about now to cool off a bit. ChiChi raised her eyebrow as she looked at her boyfriend, who arrived at the table just in the same time.

"What's with her?" she asked him. Goku shrugged.

"Don't know. Vegeta's with the same expression on his face ever since math as well," he explained. "Hey, I know!" He sounded purely enthusiastic. "Maybe it's something they both got into!"

"You don't say," ChiChi muttered dejected, appalled by the speed with which Goku's mind functioned when he wasn't really thinking. Well, at least he was sincere in everything, no matter what he did. He was purely surprised, stressed or happy. She smiled at the thought. He was such a darling…

"Did you hear?" Maron exclaimed almost happily that she knew some news before ChiChi did. They had some sort of unvoiced race in which one of them was a better gossiper… but, of course, ChiChi would _never_ refer to herself as a gossiper. The term she used was "being well-informed"… which was quite the same thing.

"What was I supposed to hear?"

"Vegeta broke Yamcha's arm," Krillin dropped off as he slipped in his seat on the big bench next to his girlfriend. She glared hard at him with a childish pout and hit his arm. "Ow! What was that for?" Krillin rubbed his arm offended. Maron huffed and brushed past Vegeta as he was making an entrance at the table. He just looked after her with a glare in his onyx eyes and sat himself next to Goku.

"What the fuck is everyone's problem today?"

"She's making faces because Krillin beat her at breaking the news of your fight today with Yamcha," Juuhachi clarified impassively.

"Stupid wench…" Vegeta murmured.

"Ditto that." Juuhachi nodded curtly. Vegeta smirked.

"Hey, don't bad mouth her! She's still my girlfriend, you know!" Krillin tried to defend his ditz of a cheating whorish girlfriend, but he didn't sound convincing even to himself; what was left for the others? The newest member of their little group even laughed at his attempt - a cruel, mirthless laugh.

"Nice try, chrome dome," Juuhachi commented as she dug into her food. "Next time try to actually believe what you say, huh? So? What happened? Spill," she turned back to Vegeta, an impish amused glint in her usually cold azure eyes. He shrugged.

"The idiot pissed me off. That's it."

"He tried to challenge you?" Krillin butted in.

"How hard is that to guess?"

"He always does that. Every time he's caught cheating he accuses Bulma in cheating on him with one of us. He always gets his ass kicked. And hard," Krillin explained to the newcomer. Vegeta rolled his eyes. A pathetic action by a pathetic idiot, he concluded, already figuring Yamcha out. It wasn't all that hard to understand someone who lacked _any_ kind of brain activity…

"Did you get suspended?" Goku asked. The flame-haired teen glared at him.

"No, I got a candy bar. Of course I got suspended! What are you, brain-dead?"

"That's quite a rhetorical question," Juuhachi mused at her tray.

"Will the two of you stop insulting everyone that gets in your line of sight?" ChiChi shrieked, insulted at the way her friends (and non-friends, she thought of Vegeta) discussed her boyfriend's mental capacities as if he wasn't even present… although he wasn't even paying attention to the conversation any longer, probably thinking about that candy bar Vegeta mentioned…

"I hate you!" Bulma exclaimed when she sat opposite of Vegeta with an apple juice in hand, slamming the poor thing on the table. The gang jumped a foot in the air from the volume of her voice, as did a few people on neighbouring tables. Vegeta quirked an eye brow at her, oblivious to what she was so mad about.

"You hate me for saving your precious behind? And then she waltzes in and accuses _me_ of being arrogant, self-conceited or," he mocked a gasp, "even ungrateful." He snorted loudly afterwards.

"You got us both in trouble! I didn't _need_ to get involved!"

"It was your fault to begin with! You can't solve your own problems; that is why _I_ had to come in and act like the first idiot that ever walked this world and save a _creature_ as unthankful as _you_ are!" he yelled back at her, getting up from his seat.

"I _haven't_ asked you for your 'help'!" she threw back at him.

"Excuse me for saving your weakling ass then! Next time you can get all the shit beaten out of you for all I care! Stupid self-centered bitch! The world _doesn't_ revolve around _you_, are you even aware of that fact?" Bulma stared vacuously at him, rage and fury still burning in her eyes. He had a hard time reading her emotions. What could be going through that idiotic mind of hers, he wondered. She just nodded curtly at him, hurt now taking control of her tempestuous feelings. She turned on her heel and marched for the door, exiting fast in direction of her next class. Needless to say, she was going to be there ten minutes in advance.

"What's up her ass, damn her? Am I supposed to actually feel _guilty_ for being that shit to a bloody pulp?" He growled with indignation at her illogical actions and inadequate reactions.

"Don't know, don't care," Juuhachi said curtly, playing the dish in front of her. ChiChi sent her an accusing glare over the table. The other girl just shrugged her shoulders.

The rest of lunch time the group spent in talking about senseless topics just to fill the time. The atmosphere around the table was tense… except for the area over the flirting Vegeta and Juuhachi. They seemed really uncaring of what was actually wrong with their strange-coloured friend. ChiChi exhaled a exasperated breath. She was certain Bulma wasn't going to tell her any time soon what was wrong. When she behaved like that without any obvious reason, it was just a matter of time for her to get back to her normal self, in a few days time probably.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"I'll be there on your next practice!" Juuhachi winked at him.

"Do whatever you want to," Vegeta yelled after her as she made her way towards her car, content that she was actually having some success into getting to know the silent temperamental teen.

She had found out he had moved into a new house and that he lived in with Goku. Also, that both of them lived alone in that house and had agreed to have rooms in opposite ends of the huge mansion so they wouldn't get in each other's ways… and would eventually both feel at home. She wondered where his parents were but decided not to bring up the topic if he did not want to tell her himself. She already pushed a little too hard with the Hailie girl, whoever she might be – she didn't want to lose him permanently.

Vegeta strolled up the wide stairs, headed off towards the third floor to finish his work as fast as he could. He did not plan on spending the rest of his precious time in that atrocious building he had always despised for all the activities that were performed in it. When he entered the first room, the door to which was widely open, he noticed the lavender-haired girl in one corner of the premise, dipping a painting brush into the light green paint tin can. He sighed and took one himself and started working.

Neither of them said anything besides 'pass this', or 'pass that'. The casual conversation without which it would take much more time to finish the task at hand. When they finally got to the last room, the sun was already low, near the horizon. Bulma was up on a ladder, painting the small space with worn out grey paint under it. There was a nail sticking suspiciously out of the wall, probably meant for holding a clock or something like it. Whatever it was, she did not like the fact that certain nail was there. She had a bad feeling about her clumsiness and the nail put together.

"Watch your step," Vegeta called to her tauntingly. She glared at the wall as her hand gently brushed the tool against the hard surface.

"I needn't your help to take care of myself, thank you very much," she retorted coldly. Vegeta sighed in exhaustion, muttering something that sounded very much like a 'here we go again…' Bulma lessened her tension and let her hand fall by her side, still gripping at the paint brush. "I can hear your thoughts even now… 'That ungrateful bitch! Hope she burns in Hell!'…" Her voice sounded solemn and depressed. He looked away from the brightly coloured sky to glance at her.

"Isn't that what you are?" he sounded mockingly surprised. She growled and took a rough swing, forgetting about the nail and tearing open a wound in her lower palm. She winced but otherwise did not give any signs she had been damaged. She continued to paint. She had to finish this. She wanted to go home, desperately. "No?"

"You have no idea what kind of problems I even have and you judge me?" she hissed with her back still turned to him. She put the finishing touches to it. Finally… Now she was finally free to go. But Vegeta was not going to let her slip so easily. Once she had opened her mouth, the start to it was put.

"And just what kind of problems could Miss Perfect actually have? A broken nail? A swollen pinkie?" he scoffed. She jumped off the ladder and glared heatedly at him.

"Stop mocking me, you arrogant bastard. I told you this has nothing to do with you or with anyone from the gang. They are my problems and my problems only."

"Yeah, like your little attitude and image problem. You _need_ to stay Miss Perfect till you graduate, now don't you? Otherwise what would people at Yale, Harvard and Oxford think of you if your record isn't spotless?"

"It's not a fucking image!" Bulma yelled at him, her frustration and agitation getting the better of her.

"That's how it looks like and how everyone else understands it," he reasoned with a sly smirk, knowing that he was stirring up the water well.

"Because of _you_ the next time I see my parents I'm going to be lectured for something I haven't even _done_! They'll give me the 'Stop getting involved in fights!' bullshit and belittle me so to even make _me_ believe I did something terribly wrong!"

"What do you mean 'next time you see them'? Don't you live with them?" He looked suspiciously at her. She mentally mused how he managed to hear what she hadn't actually said in a straight word. Her eyes averted to the floor.

"They're always on the run… They rarely stay home… I have grown up with their ghosts, voices over the phone and words through e-mails rather than with them in person…"

"You and your pathetic problems…" Vegeta rolled his eyes, disappointed at what he had just heard. And here he had thought that Miss Prissy could've actually had a taste of life's bitterness…

Bulma's jaw tightened and her face twisted into a vision rage. However, she did not say anything and just put the brush on the teacher's desk and made her exit. Vegeta snorted and looked at the left object. His brow twitched when he noticed the small crimson trace on the brush's shank. His expression fixed into a frown and he ran after her, snatching his board from his locker and exiting through the front entrance as he did so. He caught a glimpse of her storming off towards the parking lot and got onto the board, pushing violently as he raced her to her car, determined to get there before she managed to beat him to it. When he got close enough he stopped and swung her around by her shoulder.

"What the hell do you still want? Leave me alone!" she yelled and tried to get away from him, but he grabbed her right wrist before she could do so. She had it balled into a small white fist and he couldn't see what he wanted to - her bottom palm was turned to her. He growled and tightened his hold. The pressure made the muscles of her hand unclench and her palm to tremble open in front of his piercing gaze. As he thought, there was a wound on her wrist. She pulled her hand free of his grip as it lessened and glared at him. "I thought I should leave with my pathetic problems and leave you be, was that not what you wanted only second prior?"

"Stop rephrasing me," he said almost threateningly.

"Or what? You'll spit venom my way until you get green in the face? Sorry, Vegeta, you're too late. I've grown used to that for all the times I have been 'befriended' with scum like you!" Before she knew it he had already torn the bottom of his black baggy shirt and had her wrist back in his grip, tightening the cloth around her bleeding wound gently. She tore away from him and glared.

"Don't take it off, idiot! Go home and clean your wound."

"Stop trying to tell me what to do!"

"How do you suppose you're going to fix your problems at school with your boyfriend when you can't take care of those at home with your own parents?" he yelled back at her, exasperated from the resistance she was showing, silencing her instantly. "No matter how important their business is, how come it becomes more important than their own daughter?"

"Do you think I have not tried to tell them that I missed them all those years? Do you think I did not try to reason them more than on one occasion? When I was a freshman, when I needed their help or just their presence in my life – do you sincerely think I haven't tried?" she argued back, her eyes welling up at the mere mentioning of the situations.

"_Then try harder_!" he bellowed back. "If you let them know they can act like your parents when they're home three months of every year, it is quite clear you won't succeed. You said they belittle you? Then why do you _let_ yourself get belittled? They're your parents? Then demand them acting like such on all occasions, not only when you do something wrong. And next time think more before you start whining and complaining for you know _nothing_ what the word 'problem' means! You can fix everything in the flutter of an eye-lash. Have you ever heard of making someone see things from your point of view? Why do you act so mighty in front of all your friends and cower back at the sight of your angry parents? What makes you think they're perfect? Ever heard that _no one is_?"

Bulma stared dumbly at him. She had never shared a word about her problems at home with her friends for she knew they were going to start telling her she could go sleep with someone from the gang for the night or something. They wouldn't get to the bottom of what she was trying to tell them. And here he was; the guy she knew for a week long and he could already hear the words she didn't even speak, all her problems gone in the bat of the eyelash – a speed so great it was even depressing. She had the feeling everything about him was fighting - verbally or physically. But then again, that was what her case was, wasn't it?

She kept quiet for a bit, rethinking things over and over, and the wheels of her mind turning with inhumane speed. He snorted and turned around, ready to speed off on his waiting board towards home down the street. God knew he was _so_ exhausted of this woman's exaggeration… and her terribly powerful voice that made his ear drums throb.

"Vegeta!" she called after him, catching up with him as he turned back around to face her with an indifferent expression plastered on his face. Didn't she know when to leave him alone already?

"What?" He sounded rather bored and tired of the whole exchange already. He stared blankly as her left hand extended towards him.

"Thanks," she muttered inaudibly, as if the word choked her.

"What for?"

"For everything you did and said today, for me… and sorry to get you in trouble because of stupid Yamcha. At least you showed him who the boss is." She smiled widely. He looked examiningly at her, as if she would hit him any second now. She fretted under his stern and disturbing dark gaze. "If only there's a way I can possibly repay you—"

"Oh, but there is…"

He grinned and grabbed her hand with his, pulling her to him with a wicked grin on his handsome face. She opened her mouth to demand what was wrong with him now when his neck bent closer to her and his lips connected with hers in a gentle light kiss…


	7. Ch07: Complications

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater **

_Chapter Seven: Complications _

Vegeta's lips were soft and warm... Just as hers were. Bulma squeezed her eyes shut, as if trying to force the daydream away. But when she let them wander open again; his sweet masculine presence against her mouth was still there. With a soft exhale of a breath she had not realized she had been holding, she nearly melted against him, still disbelieving the whole situation was even real.

The male wondered what was wrong with him as well... Why did he attack so openly! But now, as he had already succeeded with the first onslaught, he could not bring himself to a halt. Her scent, her taste; they were too much for him to take. He couldn't get enough of her, said as simply as that. If he had such an option, he would rather let himself stay in this carefree moment for the rest of eternity. Her purity and innocence made all of his dark feelings of his merciless past wash away and all that was left was his seemingly everlasting hunger for her and more of her magical powers that actually made him think he possessed a human soul.

Bulma stifled a moan when his hands slid down her back and tightened around her waist, pulling her further in his embrace, but the other she failed as she felt his moist tongue make an assault to her opened mouth. She felt as if someone, or something, was tickling her from the inside. It was a nice feeling that she hadn't felt since the few weeks of her dating Yamcha. When she actually thought he was The One for her. But even then, the feeling had never been so intense. And that strength was what scared her the most at the moment. It was a strange mix of emotions as excitement joined all of it together.

Maybe it was his enigmatic appearance and behaviour that dragged her even further toward him. What it was she did not know. Neither did she care. All she wanted to be concerned was him and his skillfulness in the whole situation. She wondered just how many the lucky bitches that could enjoy this sensation were... Bitches... The word ricocheted in her mind's wall, tossing it right back at her. Was that what she was too? Just another whore that surrendered herself to him, just to have another one for the record!

Something in his ministrations, however, managed to soothe her stirring conscience in the whole situation. He was too gentle and the whole act was too enjoyable for both sides for the assumption to prove true. Little did she know, her 'friend' also lead a quite uneven mental battle that he was doomed on losing.

Her moan brought him out of his trance. The magic charm was undone and he realized what was actually happening...again. In the same way as it had before. No... He would not let it repeat... This carelessness... It was something he would never let himself feel ever again, for it was as foul as all of this was. Just a mask of cold reality that was going to slap him hard in the face as soon as he surrendered himself to her. She was no different, he knew. She was not strong enough either. No one else but him was... He made the mistake once, he wasn't going to repeat it...and hurt himself in the process again.

No matter what he did, he was doomed to fail it, he knew now. Even if he did not want her to get involved in his business, he was sure she would want herself to push her nose in his stuff. She was unable to stay away; he could figure that out even now, after just one week of knowing her. She was too compassionate and affectionate... She was cheerful, carefree and enjoying her life in general. He could not slaughter her now. Besides, a kiss meant nothing. At least to him, it did.

Vegeta pulled away abruptly, just as Bulma was getting caught up in their position. She flushed bright red and looked away from his prodding stare. He continued to watch her. This creature... So fragile, sensitive and caring... She did nothing to deserve...him, of all people.

"Well..." She began with a sore voice. She cleared her throat and said, this time clear, "If that's all, I'll be off home now. I have an argument to win." She tried to force a tense laugh but he did not even budge. With a sharp swing on his right heel, he turned his back at her and took off for practice. He was very late as it was. The guys were going to kill him.

Bulma sighed and made her way off as well, bringing her index finger to her lips and touching them lightly. They were still burning from the heated passionate moment. Little could she hope for it to repeat ever again...

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Since when are you interested in skating?" Goku asked interested as he sat down for a break, his dark orange board beneath his bent by the kneecap foot. "Even ChiChi doesn't come here when all the guys are around."

"Well, the least to say, I am not ChiChi." The blonde emphasized, almost offended at the comparison. "Second of all, to answer your question, since you got us to know your friend."

"So you're really over Krillin then?" Goku asked as he took a swig of his water bottle. Icy blue eyes glared at him.

"What is that supposed to mean? When was I not over Krillin?" She snapped sharply. Goku shook his head and left the bottle where he had been sitting previously as he spotted Vegeta approaching in the distance.

"To be so serious about someone else," Juuhachi's azure gaze almost burnt holes in his skull; "you must be truthfully over your last huge crush."

"Why must I be so very serious? What if I just want to enjoy myself and not be reminded with each step I make alone that Krillin is still with that whore Marron?" Juu crossed her arms over her chest offended. Her rage almost faltered completely when she noticed the death haughty look Goku gave her as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye, never turning his head to face her completely.

"Because if playing is all you want, he'll make you feel sorry for it."

"What are you waiting for, fool? And why are most of you lazying around! Back to practice!" Vegeta yelled as he approached the scene. A boy on another side of the sight snorted loudly. He pulled a strand of stray long green hair behind his ear.

"You certainly shouldn't be the one to judge us, Ouji. Can you read a watch? We were supposed to meet here two hours ago!" The pretty boy spoke in his sly voice and a bald fat guy on his left snickered stupidly. The shorter boy glared at them as he arrived.

"If you're so eager to know why I'm so damned late, you could get enforced upon the same fate as that idiot that tried to pick up a fight with me you and just feel how wonderful it actually is." He seethed between his clenched teeth. "Now get up on your ass and do as I say or I'll just be forced to shove that gay hair of yours right up your ass and have you looking more like a man, you low-life of a fag."

The other guy paled and did as told with little hesitation. Vegeta was never the one to make empty threats. The times people from the gang got themselves worked up because of their temperamental leader were countless. He expected much of them just as he expected much of himself.

As if on cue, everyone else gathered back lazily. They'd already spent two hours of their day waiting for him. They were sure he'd have them spend two more while he was at it, too.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Vegeta made his way towards where Juuhachi had been staring from for a whole hour directly at him, probably not caring whether he caught her gaze or not. He needed a break. He let everyone take five when all of them groaned in disapproval he was going to be the only one to rest a little. They were already all drained as it was.

The teen had the female pass him a bottle of cold mineral water as he sat down next to her, staring off space. She smiled slyly at him, as it appeared it was the only way she could perform that action.

"I heard you were the best at what you do, but I never imagined it meant this good." She commented.

"Many things about me can make you gawk, woman." He said as he exhaled in bliss as the refreshing cold liquid slid down his throat. "I can picture you quite well using those words in another situation as well…" He chuckled coyly and set the bottle down.

"So can I." She smirked with an expression matching his.

The boy took a side-glance at her. He wondered about the little quarrel he had with himself on his way there. Bulma was fragile and too sensitive when it came to those heart issues. She appeared strong and wore a mask that rarely faltered, but he had seen her unarmed. And he knew that she was unable to take him…and she didn't deserve it. She had done nothing wrong to him. She didn't know him. Neither did she need to. He had to keep his distance from now on, as whenever he got close to her, something about the woman's appearance dragged him to her, as if some magnetic forces were working over him.

This woman, on the other hand, was far more suiting for him. He was sure she was just as arrogant and self-conceited as he was. She was never genuinely interested. When she asked about Hailie, he was sure she did that just to get under his skin. Or just to anger him. Or whatever. But it was definitely no true interest. She cared too little about his personal life and problems to do that.

And then came the other issue - he needed to get laid. It had been quite a long time since he last slept with someone. He frowned at the remembrance of the occasion. Not a very pleasant one, to say the least.

Maybe he could rethink about the blonde thing… She appeared stronger than the other woman. And she was definitely a better choice…when it came to just screwing around with someone. The best skater there could ever be couldn't just dance around girlfriend-less, now could he?

"How come you're here?" He asked mildly bored. She shrugged.

"Thought I could join."

"You don't look like the skating type to me." He eyed her closely. She smirked down at him.

"If you do that again, you're going to have to pay before it."

"Haha. Nicely said. Whose style does it remind you of? Maybe I could use the fee you'll pay for leeching off my phrases." Vegeta grinned wickedly. Juu broke in laughter.

"Sure. Whatever you say...Your highness."

"I like that; use it more frequently and we might get a deal done."

"What deal are we speaking of?" Juuhachi grinned.

"Oh, you know perfectly well what deal we are speaking of." Vegeta said as he took another swig of his bottle. Thoughts of Bulma and her soft lips would not leave his head for a second. And when they did, he remembered of the bitch and memories came flooding back in his head. Memories he tried so hard to bury. He tried his best to shake the thought off, but he just seemed to be unable to… It was not quite a pleasant feeling.

"Oh, I rather don't, or your body-guard will make a punching bag out of me." Juu snorted with dripping sarcasm. Vegeta's eye brow quirked at her.

"My body-guard?" Vegeta repeated slowly.

"Goku." Juuhachi stated. Vegeta sneered in laughter.

"And you listen to what that idiot says or threatens? You must be stupider than him…"

"Hey, that might have actually offended me, y'know!" She snapped.

"Did it?" He asked, almost hopefully.

"Nope. Sorry to disappoint you."

Vegeta sensed the direction this whole exchange was heading to. More like he sensed that it wasn't going anywhere at all. They were just babbling shit. Just to keep their mouths busy. He smirked mentally, imagining far more interesting and nicer ways to keep themselves busy.

He glanced up at the sky. Dark clouds were hanging over the whole city. Rain was sure to pour down over them soon enough. Vegeta stood up and whistled with his fingers put in his mouth to gather everyone's attention as they appeared to be gossiping just like their girlfriends would.

"Alright, you indecent fools." They sweat-dropped. What did they do now to deserve that treatment? "You can all scatter to your homes, go and get drunk, fuck your bitches for all I care. Enough for today. Do whatever you wish to, but be here tomorrow at the same time. Am I understood?"

"You should be saying that to yourself, Vegeta." The boy from earlier started again, picking up his board from in front of him as he stood on his sore feet.

"Can it, Zarbon, or I'll make you feel gayer than ever." He turned back to the crowd as the boy fretted back. When brought up the topic of him and his homosexual ways, especially by Vegeta, he seemed to instantaneously shut his trap. Worked like a charm every time, Vegetanoted with a mental smirk in his head.

"You should really stay out of trouble, Vegeta." Goku told him. The other teen just rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, Kakarott. I'm leaving." He stated with a tired sigh. It had been quite a long time. Watching out for the woman not to fall earlier while they were at the painting appointment had been bad enough, and now this whole hour of yelling at those imbeciles… He smirked maliciously. What more could he ask of life?

As he slowly pushed his foot by the board, he heard someone's frequent foot steps behind. He guessed who it was. And he could guess that she had spoken with Goku not to follow and take the longer way home too as she appeared to come alone.

"Is the fact that I am reminding you of someone of your past that drives you away from me?" She questioned in pure confusion. He didn't pay attention to her question and continued to stroll down the busy street as the foolish people ran to their homes before they got their precious clothes soaked. Sometimes Vegeta couldn't help but feel a strange rage towards those creatures… as if he didn't belong among them in the first place… As if he was trapped in a place that he didn't belong to…

"What makes you think there is something that actually repulses me from you?" He spoke when she was getting quite restless by his side. She did not answer either. They continued to approach the huge Capsule Corporation compound in the far distance.

A lightning struck somewhere in the clouds. Juuhachi pulled her jacket over her head as they continued walking with the same pace. Vegeta didn't budge. He continued his carefree pushes and didn't pay any attention as the droplets slid down his face and his sides, soaking his clothes to the bone.

"Aren't we going to hurry? Do you mind? I don't really want to get all wet and looked like a drowned rat, you know!" She yelled as the rain began pouring maliciously over them, splashing against her whole body, sucking away all of the warmth it possessed currently.

"A little rain isn't going to melt you, nor are you made of sugar." He stated sternly, refusing to go any faster than he already was. The girl just sighed and let her jacket drop back down against her, making a strange noise as it did so, as it was already quite dripping wet.

She took constant side-glances at him, admiring how the clothes clutched to his perfectly sculpted torso. The muscles of his feet clenched and unclenched in his soaked baggy pants, which complemented his feet. He wasn't tall, but neither was she, so she didn't really mind his height. He was staring blankly forward without a trace of a flow over his features. She wondered whether his creature was true… She had never seen someone else such as him before in her life… There was something about him… Something that just made him seem so… unearthly, alien…

"I don't remember inviting you at my house." He snapped. She sighed and shrugged.

"I'll leave once the rain stops. I don't want to catch a cold." The blonde informed and just kept on striding, ignoring the tugging feeling of misplacement. Maybe she should've gotten the hint when she saw his shirt torn…

"I never said I wanted you to." He told her emotionlessly.

"You're quite hard to understand, do you know that?" She muttered angrily. This guy was getting on her nerves a little already. He just smirked at her statement. But, Christ, was he a looker… And that smirk looked so good on him.

"I've been told that quite a few times already, yes."

"What's with your shirt?" Juu tried to keep a conversation to keep her mind off the coldness that was probably even creeping to the core of her being.

"The woman tore her palm." He said nonchalantly. "She had to get something for it before she went home to clean it." Juu just nodded. She couldn't think of Bulma's welfare right now. She sneezed. Crap…

Vegeta turned around when she stopped to sneeze again. They were right in front of Capsule Corporation driveway, but neither seemed to notice.

"What's with you?" He inquired sharply.

"I- " She sneezed again. "I think I caught a cold…"

"Weakling." He sneered. She threw him a death glare.

"Sorry for being human."

"Come, here, we're close already." He grabbed her by the hand and took the board with his other one as he continued off to the huge house. However, Juu's feet seemed to be cold already and she couldn't step properly. She sneezed again and almost fell face-forward in the puddles. Vegeta rolled his eyes.

"Can you stop screwing around and just move?"

"Sorry for not being Bulma…" The girl snorted at him. His head whipped her direction.

"What did you just say?" He hissed.

"You heard me." She stated, turning her icy eyes that were mere slits right now his direction. The boy sighed. That was not the quite correct time, nor was she right to be jealous.

"What makes you think I'd rather have the wench here right now?"

"The way you always behave around her? The way both of you look each other's way? Or maybe-"

He grabbed her roughly by the waist and pulled her in his embrace, silencing her with his mouth. Second time today. It was turning into a habit of his. Quite a nice habit, he thought. At least if the right people were in front of him, that is.

Juuhachi didn't push him back, but neither did she relax. Her eyes were still glaring and the rain invaded her eyes mercilessly. Yet when he began to work his magic over her, she had no other option but to lay down her swords…and eventually enjoy the ride that she had been begging for in a long time now. At the time her mind was too busy to wonder how could he do this to a girl's senses and what other tricks did he have up his sleeve to realize that she had just won in her bet to Marron. The bitch was going to turn green in the face tomorrow when she found out.

x.x.x.x.x.x

Ever since she had been home, Bulma was content with the turn of events. She had done as Vegeta had 'kindly' advised her and right now her parents were recollecting themselves and wondering how to make it up to her, as they had been home for the rest of the week.

Her mother showed her true nature of a natural blonde, cooking this and that Bulma had claimed to absolutely adore, hoping this was enough of an excuse for now, as she couldn't think of anything at the moment.

Her father was trying to stick to her the whole time. It was truly adorable, how both of them seemed to really care about her, yet failed to show it all those nearly eighteen years of her whole life.

When the 'parents' topic was settled for her, Bulma began wondering about her encounter with Vegeta. She couldn't help but ponder how she was to act around him now. The kiss meant something… didn't it? It said at least an "I'm attracted to you"…didn't it?… She didn't know how to think about all of this… Yamcha had been the only person to show real interest in her before, so she was completely inexperienced in the area.

He had been so… soft… She didn't picture him like that… With his rotten attitude and rough temper, she imagined his action would be more aggressive and invasive. When he actually waited for her to grant him entrance to her mouth and- She stopped her train of thought as she noticed to faint figures out her window, over which the rain droplets were cascading down.

The slightly bigger figure pulled the other close into what seemed an enticing passionate kiss. She smiled. Love was in the air, probably? She never could fit Vegeta in the picture of a love-driven fool. More like a passion-driven fool, as she wondered whether he could feel love…

She caught a flash of platinum coloured hair and her eyes twitched with the effort as she tried to see better who the two in front of her house were. Then she actually recognized the flame-like hair style of her day dream. And the girl that he was embracing - Juuhachigou Jinzoningen, one of her best friends ever. She sniffed dryly. She hadn't really expected him to feel anything towards her, now did she? Her consciousness questioned her. A kiss meant nothing to most guys. It was just an enjoyable physical contact.

But then again that could mean he was just playing with Juu too, did it not? A small voice in the back of her head, which people usually labeled with the silly name 'hope', interfered. Bulma shook her head as she squished the little voice to dust in her mind and went back to her work in the lab.

She had been a fool to think that Yamcha had actually loved her… as she was a fool to think someone as Vegeta might actually have any interest in her…

She retreated silently down the stairs, completely oblivious to the thoughts that were shooting through the teen in question's mind…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Vegeta had already pinned Juu against the door to the house trying to find the door-handle gropingly as he was still entangled with the blonde in a heated kiss. He had to force the image of the shocked lavender-haired creature from earlier to get a firmer grip on the situation.

The door was unlocked which meant Goku had come before them. He separated with the girl to take his sneakers off and to place his board on the floor, pulling Juuhachi up the stairs to his room.

He didn't bother to put the light on. He already had her pinned against the bed. If both of them had a little more time to consider all of it, they would both come to the conclusion it was all moving too fast forward. But they had little time to think about it. They just acted on the emotions that were swelling up in them, passion overtaking every single one.

Till this time, Vegeta managed to force the tugging feeling of guilt that tried to force its way into his mind. He paid little to no attention at it, as his mind screamed for more…

Neither was actually aware that what turned the teen on more was the fact when his eyes were closed, he could try to enforce the vision of the strange-coloured girl beneath him now, in the same position the blonde was, moaning in pleasure as he trailed short butterfly kisses down her body as he undressed her, tossing the soaked clothes to the carpeted floor, noting he would take care of that later in time.

Juu was surprised at the hurry he seemed to be in. She was better than she thought, crossed her mind. She noted another thing as well. While her whole body was trembling with both cold and desire, her mate's was perfectly warm and steady. She wondered how he managed to do that. She had little time to ponder though, as her hands wandered up to his dripping bottom clothing as well.

The girl was quite unaware of the self-control Vegeta's pullback from Bulma had required. And now he needed something. Something to soothe his burning desire. He needed to stop his devastating hunger for her. If that meant replacing her with the other one that actually caught his attention, so be it. Little did he care…

How did he happen to develop such a strong need for the enigmatic woman for such a short period of time? No matter how, it scared him… It crept him out how she could get under his skin and use his weakness against him. But then again, it would all just disappear in thin air after tonight…wouldn't it?

Juu's hands reached out for his belt, scratching over something soft and fuzzy, alarming Vegeta who bolted away from her embrace and stared down at her, eyes slightly wider in shock as he had been caught off-guard. The girl stared weirdly at him from beneath.

"What?" She questioned, her voice completely out of breath. He shook his head lightly composing himself again and resuming his actions. He had completely forgotten about…it. He lowered himself again and kissed her neck greedily.

"Nothing. Nevermind…"

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Vegeta woke up an hour later to find himself lying on his back with the blonde wench on the other side of the bed. His bed. He shook his head as the memories of the night came flooding back his head.

It wasn't as if she was a bad fuck. She was quite enjoyable to be honest. But it wasn't her he had wanted to sleep with tonight… Even if it was just to see how she felt like, how she tasted like, he wanted her… He slapped himself mentally. He needed to get a grip…

He made his way towards the shower and as soon as the water caressed his skin, he felt relieved. But still foul and devious. He hadn't vowed himself to be eternally faithful to her; neither did he feel like doing so… But still there was something that wouldn't let his mind at ease.

Had he just used the blonde to satisfy himself? Was it usage when she enjoyed the ride too?… He let the water pour over his face as he shut his eyes tightly, refusing entry to the liquid. He sighed heavily and decided not to think about it and get some sleep. He'd need to find some pajama pants to sleep with as he had company for tonight. He didn't want the woman to get freaked out first thing tomorrow morning.

x.x.x.x.x.x

For a reason unknown to everyone else in the clique, Goku had been throwing glares at Vegeta whole day long. The other teen seemed to care less, however. Juuhachi was wearing strange more boyish than usual clothes, that did not appear to be hers whatsoever.

Bulma was more silent than usual and Marron was fuming. Everything had gone wrong… Not to mention that Juuhachi was clinging ever the more and openly at Vegeta's neck. At lunch it was all clear.

"Okay, I'm going to ask this once and only once! What the hell is wrong with all of you? You're behaving like two year olds! And you won't even tell what's up your asses! Now spill!" ChiChi bossed around. "Goku, what's with you, most of all? I haven't seen you like that since-"

"Why don't you ask Vegeta? Did you sleep well?" Goku was really behaving strange. A dark eye brow was quirked at him.

"I was quite comfy after a nice lay, thank you for you concern." His voice soaked with sarcasm.

"I can't believe she beat me to it! What does she have I don't?" Marron exclaimed.

"What are you talking about, hun?" Krillin questioned, placing an affectionate hand on the girl's shoulder before it was rudely shrugged off.

"She slept with Vegeta! She won the fucking bet!" The girl squeaked.

"Bet?" Both ChiChi and Vegeta questioned.

"Who you're going to choose…" Marron explained. "I wanted it to be me!"

"Now wait just a rotten minute here!" Krillin raised his voice as well. Everyone's attention turned to him. He was always such a cheerful and he usually avoided any kind of confrontation, especially with his so perfect girlfriend. He always told his friends how lucky he felt that this particular girl even looked his way. When she had first heard that little confession of his, Bulma had just sadly shaken her head.

"You knew that we were still together at the time you made that bet, did you not?" He asked; his voice sounded offended. Like what he felt like.

"Yes, Krillie, why are you asking?" Marron looked stupidly at him in genuine surprise and confusion. He shook his bald head at her.

"How can you _possibly _be so insolent? Do you even consider me as a figure in your school life, if not personal one? How could you just, ugh!" He was furious. What kind of a creature was he dating?

"Don't be mad, darling!" Marron said as she tried to hug him. "It's just that… Well, you know, Vegeta is quite an attractive man and-"

"_Shut up_!" The boy bellowed at her. "I don't want to hear this! You were still with me when you made a bet on luring someone else in your bed! How low is that? Did you think I'll just stay back and say nothing when you cheat on me?"

"Well, yes-"

"_SHUT UP_!" The second yell startled most of the occupants of the table. "I don't want to listen to you anymore! I'm breaking up with you, you whore! I tried to be good enough for you, when actually you are the one who should be trying harder! Go screw whoever you like for all I care, you fucking cheap slut!" Krillin stormed out of the cafeteria to the front yard.

"I still can't believe she beat me to it…" Marron muttered. Bulma gawked. Did Krillin mean truly so little to her?

"To be more accurate, I think a third person won." Yamcha's voice came over from the other end of the table. The clique's eyes averted to the direction of his voice and most of them glared at him. "Thanks for the broken arm, Veg'." His voice full of hate and rage, as well as roughly enforced sarcasm as the scar-faced guy shot a death glare the other teen's way.

"Always at your service for it, scum."

As Yamcha fumed when he stormed away, everyone else shook the topic off, turning their attention to Juuhachi who was explaining how she and Vegeta were now officially a couple as he had asked her on their way to school.

Did I say everyone? Well, maybe, except for Bulma. She was staring blankly at the table in front of her. How was it possible?… Could she have been the one who 'won Vegeta', as Yamcha had interpreted it? Why would he assume that since Vegeta and Juu were now a couple?... She couldn't help but wonder as she stared at the object of her thoughts, which locked his gaze with hers for a moment long before thrusting his eyes sharply away from her.

_To Be Continued… _

* * *

_A/N: Okay... I know you are not into this reading-this-fic-business, or you're not into the reviewing-this-fic-business... All I ask is for constructive criticism, about the characters, about their actions, about what they say or whatever, anything that pisses you off and you know this fic will look better if it's corrected. All I ask is for a single review of approval or disapproval, what you liked, what I should keep up or turn down and not use again, correct, or whatever! Speak to me, my darlings! I recently get the feeling that redoing this story was a bad idea... For it's rating is so below the previous one's... Please! Tell me what ya think! How else could I possibly know you're even reading it? I feel like this poow wiw' stowy is so stranded compared to it's origin... T.T_


	8. Ch08: Break ups & Make ups

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Eight: Break-ups and make ups_

Time dragged itself slower than ever before and pressed Bulma to the edge of sanity when she was actually at home or school, the two places she shifted inbetween. At home she had to take care of herself as her care-taker had taken a week off due sickness and her parents were on another Capsule Corporation meeting abroad. At school teachers were getting bitchier by the day and they pressured students to their limits with home work, early exams and such nonsense Bulma was usually accustomed to. But now her thoughts were plagued with a disease she had thought she was immune to with her oh-so-perfect ex-boyfriend, Yamcha.

The girl never had to worry whether she was wanted or not. She took for granted the fact she had all the attention she seemed to need. And she had thought she was happy…when in reality all of it was just as false as her assumption that Vegeta might have actually wanted her.

Now it had been a whole month since the beginning of school. And Vegeta and Juuhachi were still a couple. They were also getting really popular by the minute, even though Juu was not very well known among the high scholars. But, being 'Vegeta's chick' made one more famous than they could imagine.

Juu and Vegeta were now a steady couple. Or at least so it appeared to the cerulean eyed girl… When actually the two had a huge problem in their relationship that was far more than obvious ever since they got together.

They might've had passion, lust or desire for one another, they might've been together almost every night, they could've gone around together all the time, but that was not the core of the contagious virus that was threatening to devour their fragile union… It was the fact that they could care less for each other outside of the bedroom, that they had no common interest and besides the fact they were physically attracted to one another… there was no spark in the relationship…

Even so, the proud blonde refused for anything to show. She clung to her man for her dear life. He was a catch not to miss. When else would she have the chance to date and bed with the famous Vegeta Ouji?

Then again came the other issue. Now that Krillin was alone again, he had a lot of spare-time. And so did Bulma, so the two had decided to spend it together. At movies, going shopping (Krillin really hated that part for you wish to have no idea how long it takes Bulma to choose even one pair of shoes, or just a dress…), going to the fair, just hanging out around town.

Ever since they have grown to know each other, Juuhachi had developed a strange attraction for the short bald boy. There was something about him that made her heart clench whenever he was miserable, lonely or with another girl. The blonde teenager was a very possessive person, therefore she couldn't help but notice all the time the two spent with each other. She secretly glared at Bulma for 'taking advantage on him' while he was 'weakened'. Though, we have to confess, she hid it really well.

It was very well obvious that nothing could be going on between the short guy and the lavender haired girl. They were just friends; they were discussing school and silly topics together while actually chatting. Often, Krillin would even tell Bulma how bad he felt for being such a fool for so long. She would comfort him and remind him of her own love-life distress, and both of them would just laugh bitterly how stupid and blindly 'in love' they have been. Once Krillin even stated that Marron and Yamcha could make a nice couple! They were just perfect for each other, he claimed. So very alike they were, indeed…

Having a closer friend to spend more time with her, Bulma finally felt a little better. ChiChi and Goku were engaged in constant arguments about Goku's laziness at school and low grades and ChiChi's refusal to be 'nicer to Vegeta' since he was the taller teen's housemate.

But the worst of all was that Bulma's biggest fear had come true… Vegeta was now avoiding her as if she was plagued or had a highly contagious deadly disease. Even if he would talk to her, they always got in stupid pointless fights. Bulma would often space out and wonder what she had done wrong, where was the place she made the first wrong step that now lead to this disaster. She had never wanted to be on bad terms with him. But after the last fight, she ditched every thought of him and decided to let him and herself both be. She did not care for him, she told herself, and stubbornly refused to fix their fragile 'friendship's' little problem, for if not for her, the headstrong boy would never do it.

The only question that would just not leave her at peace was, 'Why'…

x.x.x.x.x.x

Friday late noon. No school for the rest of the week. Rumbling stomachs and hungry teenagers with no homework for the weekend. What else was there left for the youngsters to do than to go and fetch some good food?

"Vegeta!" Goku whined. "I'm hungry!" The other teen growled and shot his friend a death glare at the tone he had used. One thing that was more than clear was that Vegeta loathed whining, of any kind. And he despised Goku, or so it seemed. Not a very nice combination, you can see for yourself...

"Stop your bitching, Kakarott; your voice makes me want to pull you out of your misery in a flash! And I might decide on doing it if you keep that up!" He threatened loudly as he collected his board from his locker. Goku's was right next to his and the other boy performed the same action.

"But Vegeta!" Goku's stomach grumbled loudly, having the boy almost double over in pain. Obsidian dark eyes rolled at the sight of the complaining male. 'No good weakling!' Vegeta cursed him in his mind.

"Hey, guys! Me, Bulma and Krillin were planning on fetching some good stuff around here. What do you say about joining us?"

"I say you should shut your trap, harpy, and move your precious behind. Follow me, morons!" Vegeta threw the board on the ground, getting on it as soon as they reached the space down the stairs from the front entrance. ChiChi gritted her teeth at the way the arrogant prick had referred her and the fact Goku said nothing in her defense. She was about to turn to her side and scream at him for all he was good for when she noticed he was fast gaining up on Vegeta.

She growled loudly and ran for Bulma's car that was just in front of the front entrance. She got in and closed the door of the passenger seat. She found her childhood best friend behind the wheel with Juuhachi and Krillin in the back seat.

"So?" Bulma questioned eagerly.

"Drive after those idiots. The troll said we have to follow him." Bulma chuckled at the way the brunette referred to Vegeta and Juuhachi's icy blue eyes did not even flicker. She seemed to pretend not to have heard anything.

After a few minutes, the teenagers found themselves in front of a small building with glass-cases instead of walls to the front. It had the form of an irregular pentagon (_A/N: Forgive my incompetence when it comes to math terminology… English no motherly language, no suey! )_ and it seemed like all it had to offer a starved teenager was fast food.

Bulma's eye brows narrowed as did ChiChi's. They were quite tired of junk food. All they ever ate was barely edible junk food, like McDonald's, KFC and such. They have loved those places… till their tenth year? Vegeta had to be pullinh their leg!

"I say we go there and give Vegeta a nice twist of that stick that seems to be so permanently stuck up his goddamned ass." Bulma said as she locked the door after all of them have gone out of the car. ChiChi nodded in affirmation.

"But what an ass it is…" Juuhachi laughed at the stressed glance Bulma threw at her after the statement she had made. She gave an apologetic shrug and continued to chuckle until they reached for the door that lead inside.

As they could've figured, for such a small place it was quite unaired. The vapours from the steaming fries and meat lingered heavily in the air and flooded one's nostrils with a nice odour of what smelled like delicious food. Vegeta and Goku were already in the head of the line and were waiting impatiently for them to come further.

"What took you so long?" Vegeta snapped at Juuhachi.

"Yeah, Chi! What took you so long? You know how hungry I am after school!" Goku whined as he jumped slightly up and down in a psychotic fit. ChiChi gave him a hard glare.

"Goku, _honey_…" She emphasized on the second word with dripping sarcasm; she was in one of her moods... "You're _always_ hungry." She stated as-a-matter-of-factly with annoyance. That caused Goku to think for a bit and scratch his head in confusion.

"Actually, you could be right…"

"You don't say…" ChiChi's voice was filled with uncontained sarcasm.

"Why did you drag us here, idiot? We wanted to _eat_ something, not to get the next portion of junk food for the week!" Bulma barely contented the urge to jump on his throat and choke him until he begged for mercy like a helpless little moron that he was. She wondered in her mind for a second long where the ferocity for the teen came from? Was his rejection such a bad act to get her so viciously against him?…

"Have you ever been here before, wench?"

"No, I haven't, smurf."

"Then just shut up and let me eat before I decide your flesh might taste better than your rotten attitude." Bulma glared at him but didn't say anything. She was too hungry herself to argue. Well, her diet was sure to go to hell with this nutritious food she had been presented with.

As everyone bought a hamburger with whatever they liked, having an extra portion of french fries just because of the fact they were in the same gang as Vegeta Ouji, who was befriended with all of the girls behind the desk, the group sat on a bigger table to eat in peace. Or at least they intended to do so.

"I saw the way you were looking at her." Juuhachi hissed under her breath and Vegeta almost failed to decipher what she had said. He raised his dark eye brow at her in a mute question. "That girl, one of the cooks, or whatever she doing for a pathetic living." She bit on her hamburger.

"What's with you!" Vegeta snapped.

"Does there just _have_ to be something wrong with me to notice the way you look at other women? Is that such a crime for me wanting you being loyal?"

"Are you _accusing **me**_ of _cheating_?" Vegeta hissed in disbelief and set his third hanmburger into the plate in front of him.

"Of course I'm not. You're too goddamn perfect to be accused of anything, now aren't you?" She snapped back at him with the same tone of voice. By the time the whole table's attention was directed at them.

"Don't you try to blame anything on me. I have told you that my past has nothing to do with you and is _none_ of _your_ business. We agreed that we won't get in each other's ways and that was the only condition under which I would agree to this."

"It has nothing to do with me, but it has to do with your actions and your behaviour now, in the present, Vegeta! As much as you wouldn't like it to be so, your past _obviously_ still affects _you_. And _that_ is what matters truly!"

"If you're trying to pass me the ball of guilt, you have the wrong address. I feel no remorse for anything I have done to you. For I had been as flawless as I could ever be. And the fact your precious ex-boyfriend is now free and you're jealous of a dumb wench you feel so threatened by all the time is nothing _I_ can _possibly_ alter." Juuhachi, as well as the rest of the table were dumb folded. Bulma subtly scowled at the referrence that was made to her with such an insulting words. She wasn't dumb!

"How… When did you- … How did you see that-"

"I notice the most invisible things unlike everyone else you have ever known, woman. I notice things _you_ would otherwise pay little to no attention at all. And I am anything but stupid. I can put the pieces together. Female rivalry because of a male is something I think I can recognize very well. If you're so willing to pick a fight with me and break up so you can run back to him, fine. Feel yourself freed of my presence as a figure in your intimate life."

The rest of the clique, as well as the blonde herself, had their jaws dropped nearly to the ground. They have never suspected that Juuhachi could be so possessive about Krillin, or any guy in her life whatsoever. She was always the monotone steady-paced one, as if lacking any emotional fiber in her whole body. But now it appeared that her most precious and hidden feelings were so obvious to someone like Vegeta, a person who had known her for no longer than five weeks long and he could already read her better than her closest friends.

"So that's it? We're just breaking up? So easily?" Juuhachi did not let herself fall on her back so fast.

"Is that not what you wanted of me now?" Vegeta questioned utterly bored and repulsed of the thought of putting any more food or drink in his mouth.

"I should've known from the beginning that nothing will turn out of this relationship…" Juu sighed and massaged her temples. Vegeta let out a cruel cold laugh that chilled her to the bone. Bulma also shuddered at the evil sound.

"Come on! Don't try to play the prey here, for you won't succeed. You have been leeching pleasure out of me as much as I did out of you. It was quite a mutual act of keeping bed covers warm. I, personally, had no problem with such a development, but it seems the fact baldy is free gives you a change in mind, eh?" He chuckled coldly, distantly. "That's still okay with me, wench; I don't really care. I have a line of women, as you have said, waiting for me just to snap my fingers and they'll throw themselves at my feet."

"Don't get too arrogant with me, Vegeta…" Juuhachi growled out. As strange as it was, she felt strangely humiliated by the fact Krillin was listening to their little fight…that indirectly definitely concerned him. The dark skater chuckled again and glanced out of the glass-case to see a pair of girls with long black pleated skirts and navy long shirts with a dark violet coloured ties around their necks approaching the place. His eyes darkened, his jaw line tightened and he grabbed his board, making a fast exit out of the door behind him, avoiding any kind of encounter with the two, or the group that had so kindly accepted him among them.

Bulma watched out of the corner of her eye how Vegeta studied something out of the window in his front, then his features hardened, his eyes grew dull and distant, as if a shield instantaneously went up to protect any kind of emotion showing. When he walked out without saying anything, she turned around for the other entrance to see two girls entering. Not noticing anything that could set one in distress, she shrugged the topic off and just enjoyed spending time with her friends.

But there was still a tugging feeling that something bad was approaching and fast…

x.x.x.x.x.x

When Bulma arrived back home it was already quite late. The sun had already set and darkness had fallen over the whole Capsule Corporation dome. She sighed and threw her backpack to an undefined direction and then went up the stairs to her room. She needed to lay down and let herself rest a bit. It had been a terribly long week. She was completely drained by the time…

As the girl lay herself against the sleek soft covers she couldn't help herself let her thoughts drift back to the figure she was often either cursing in her mind or pondering about. Vegeta had proved to be far more observant than anyone had thought. She still had not forgotten the fact he knew calculus. But he definitely did not look like the studying type, or the smart type. Yet there was something about him… Something very weird and wrong… A strange aura that floated around whenever he approached…

A loud thud downstairs snapped Bulma out of her trance. The sound, even if it might've not been so loud, resounded eerily off the walls of the silent huge compound. The girl jumped into a sitting position on the bed and looked at her surroundings with eyes wide with horror. Was it thieves? Burglars? Nasty kids?

Deciding that nothing was going to be solved just by staring stupidly and doing nothing, the young woman made her way slowly down the stairs. The bell rang this time, startling her as she had been completely focused on the task of getting herself to the front door as quiet as she could.

Front door? How stupid of a criminal must you be to come from the front door! The girl shook her head and went straight for the door-handle, wondering who could it be at that time.

As the door opened, Bulma's eyes watered slightly and grew wide in shock as she gasped loudly, pulling a hand to her mouth at the sight that revealed in front of her……

* * *

_A/N: Evilness! Those of you that have read this fic before know what_'_s going to be behind the door. But this time, it is **edited** and **better**, with much more **thought** inserted. Let me paste you a little teaser from the next chapter. Otherwise there is no hope for me getting as much as one comment on this lil' boring thing, now is that not correct?_

**Next time you'll read: **

Bulma shrunk back in the dark wall. Whimpers of panic and imense dread from the approaching feeling of death escaped herthroat without her even trying to stop them. How was it possible? Why was he doing this to her? What was wrong with him? She never did anything so wrong in her life to deserve such a pathetic and gruesome death, did she? She prayed constantly, she went to church, she did charity... Squeezing her azure eyes shut when the huge being's breath tickeled her throat in anticipation to snap it in half, she looked up in the dark ceiling and muttered his name in a strange urge for it to be the last thing that ever emitted from her throat... "Vegeta..."

_And now I wish to thank all of you, those who have reviewed last chapter mostly for the support that I have asked you for! **GoddessDragonofRa, Luna-Divine, Jade, lil Mari, mamaslilangel, katie, Kataan, Alice, Black Rose Black Heart, Veghan, Shades of Crimson, t2i2n2a, silentslayer, KyLewin, maz and DBZ-fan-JESS**; thank you **all** for your wonderful reviews on the last chapter! You made this fic breathe again! Or at least that's what I think, lol. I hope this chapter doesn't bore you to death, but even if it does, if you state an opinion, of any kind, next one will be fast to come out!_

_P.S. **KyLewin**, thank you for the constructive criticism. I needed to know that others have noticed the same thing as well. I have sat on my lazy behind and have gone through the whole chapter over, editing it. Thank you again! I'll try not to make the same mistakes again:)_


	9. Ch09: Secrets & Facts

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Nine: Well-Hidden Secrets And Intriguing Facts_

Bulma took a step back from the opened door as her brain registered the sight before her. She let out a soft stifled groan of sympathy as she regained her composure and rushed to her guest's side.

Who stood before her was none other than Vegeta Ouji himself. In the flesh and blood. Covered by it too. He had wounds torn open over his entire body. Blood was oozing mercilessly out of them, making his head spin from the blood loss. He had dark nasty bruises over his hands and legs. His clothes were utterly ragged and completely shattered. His eyes were dull and seemed like swimming behind his lids; he seemed like a blind man with open eyes, to be more precise.

His form was rested against the wall next to the door bell and he was now supporting himself with his hands to get inside the room.

"Want some-" He coughed up some blood; "-company?" He finished with his unsteady voice that seemed to tremble in its weakness. Bulma submerged the urge to shriek. She knew that the last thing he'd want right now was to hear her raised voice in his sensitive ears. She supported him back against the wall, pinning him to it while snaking her arm around his waist and pulling his left arm over her shoulder.

"What happened to you?" Bulma whispered huskily when she set her school-mate on the nearest bed. He looked directly to her eyes locking his gaze with hers for a moment. His blinking was slow, it seemed like every process in his body has been reduced to a far slower pace. It was so heart-clenching to see such an energetic person in such a condition. "Why do you look like this?"

"I got in a fight..." He spoke slowly, taking his time for his rib cage hurt even when he inhaled.

"Oh, really? I would've never guessed!" Her volume rose and his eyes clenched shut, his eye brows narrowing at her tone. Her voice resounded in his head, making his migraine grow ever more. Bulma realized her mistake and just narrowed her eyes dangerously at him. "Why and how did you get beaten up so badly?" She asked sympathetically, calling the house drones to come and help her bring him to the med wing.

She began cleaning his wounds with a small cotton ball soaked in flavin as sson as he set a thigh on that bed. Usually when she did the same with Yamcha, the poor low-life idiot would moan and groan until he turned blue in the face, but Vegeta, whose wounds were a few times worse than all Yamcha's ever had put together, did not even utter a sound. His eyes closed and his breathing slightly uneven, he waited patiently to have his body cleansed.

Bulma had the wonderful chance to admire his features and inspect his condition more carefully. His face's cuts were now clean and bandaged, she congratulated herself subtly. His clothes were completely changed to some of her father's old ones that hung on his body lifelessly as they were several sizes too wide or too big for him. She discovered traces from insertion of injections on his arm joint. Her eyes narrowed once again. Why wouldn't he tell her what happened to him!

"Why did you get so beaten up? Tell me." She demanded, leaving no place for refusal. His eyes were still closed as he answered.

"I owe you no explanation."

"Damn right you do. You're at my place, you have my bandages all over yourself and you are in no condition to walk yourself even to the exit. Now tell me." She continued to prod. Barely knowing her but still taking good guesses about it, the male could guess she'd continue until he did as she requested. More like demanded. Vegeta sighed an exasperated sigh. Did this woman ever give up?

"Let us just guess that your absent-minded ex of a boyfriend probably came up with the bright idea to set his little dirty friends out on me." He explained slowly. Man, what made the world revolve so fast all of a sudden? Even with his eyes closed he felt extremely nauseous. Damn those bastards! Let them pray to God he never found out who they were. Otherwise they'd just signed their wills.

"I thought you were working out." Her voice trailed off as she glanced him up and down. No matter the wounds he had, he was still gorgeous and the faint moonlight from the open window made his sharp features even more divine. He really did seem so unreal.

"I _am_ working out." Vegeta defended, throwing her a heated death glare for even assuming otherwise. "How am I supposed to defend myself when they came at me from the back? I can be strong but they out powered me easily when my guard was down! How was I supposed to know someone was stalking me while I was returning from that let-us-all-eat-together party you decided to throw up?"

"So you had no chance?" Bulma's eyes sunk. How low... She never thought even Yamcha could fall that low. Vegeta sighed and looked away from her. He hated admitting defeat, but now the results were so obvious that saying all was just a minor scratch would be far more than a blatant lie. "How did you get out?"

"They grew tired of toying with me." He answered bitterly, still refusing to meet her eyes.

"What else did they do to you?" She continued to ask. She wanted to hear all of it. And from him, his mouth. Not just to make empty assumptions.

"Nothing." He said sternly, nearly making her believe it was true. But facts spoke louder and more sternly than him.

"What did you get injected?"

"Nothing."

"Vegeta!"

"Nothing!" He insisted, this time louder as her voice had been raised as well. Her pleading look, however, made his head turn away again.

"Please, Vegeta. You know you can tell me!"

"And just why do I _know_ this, as you said it?" He threw her a venomous stare.

"Because you know I care." She said as-a-matter-of-factly. He looked at her and let his gaze linger over her worried features a bit. She was right. He knew she cared. He had no idea why, but she did. She wanted to help. She desperately wanted to push her nose further into his business. No matter how hard they fought, no matter how hard he tried to push away, in such situations she always got out with the upper hand.

"Heroin." He informed coldly.

"How much?" Did she ever stop? When would she be satisfied? The information-greedy little bitch...

"It doesn't matter."

"What? It '_doesn't matter_'?_ Vegeta_! You have a strong drug running in your blood and it _doesn't matter_?" She shook his shoulders making him groan in pain a little. His ribs, _oh_, his ribs...

"It is _none_ of your concern, woman; go back to sleep or whatever you were doing before I got here. I'll leave in a few minutes. I need to shake myself off a little." He said and tried to stand up only to be pushed back down by a now furious Bulma.

"Leave? Are you mad? You're not leaving at least until tomorrow. You can't possibly get better so fast!"

"Woman, let me be! I'm fine! I'm going to be fine! Stop trying to worry about me, because it doesn't move me the bit in the first place!" He yelled at her, standing up to glare at her from a close proximity.

"Now _you_ are the one that's lying and fooling around! Of course it moves you. I can see it in your eyes. When was the last time you let someone be nice with you? When was the last time you needed help of any kind? When was the last time you felt selfless concern by another human, not to mention of the opposite gender?" Her questions stung him at the remembrance of the last girl that had 'helped' him. He got such a help from her he was still regenerating from the damage she had inflicted upon him. Not to mention some of the mental wounds she had torn open would never heal, scars that would never disappear, engraved onto his consciousness...

"Forget it, woman. I'm going to do this my way..."

"You always do things _your_ way, Vegeta. And look where it's got you! Beaten to a bloody pulp, and drugged till the point of nearly passing out out of pain and whatever! _How much_, Vegeta, tell me, _now_!"

"I won't!"

"Why not?" She bellowed back, tears springing to her eyes in the same instant. "Am I so unworthy of your trust? What's so wrong about me? What do I lack Juu has? Tell me!"

Vegeta shook his head dejectedly. He hated when it happened like this. It was not his first time at it. As such a famous figure among teenagers he had had a lot of fangirls. Fangirls that claimed they loved him from the bottom of their hearts, asking every now and then what did his girlfriend have they didn't... Such a pathetic display as they knew nothing about him as he knew nothing of them.

But now... Now it was a little bit different. Bulma, indeed, knew nothing of him, his background, his past. She knew nothing about him and what has happened to him. But she was so anxious to help, still offering her selfless behaviour to him. She wanted to know him, she wanted to be a part of his life, he knew it now, he could _see_ it. She was genuinely worried about him, she was sincerely willing to offer all she could to his aid. The fact he felt that strange attraction to her did not help him any in pushing her away as he would do with any other female.

What he saw in her eyes was not pity for him. It was alarm for his welfare, a subtle plea to have knowledge of his misfortune, of his worries and problems that shone brightly in her eyes. She wanted to be there for him. She wanted to be the one he could know he could turn to whenever he needed an understanding person, someone who would never turn him down for such things, the improtant and significant things in life, the serious topics everyone spoke of so rarely.

He didn't need her to tell him that. He could see it. Vegeta Ouji was anything but stupid. He could read people better than anyone else; he could see all of those emotions in their eyes, by their gestures and their stances, all that they could do with body language... He understood every single small thing... But he was incapable of feeling most of the emotions himself... at least now, he was. After all of this that had happened to him...

She was ready to help, ready to be there for him... But the question was, was he ready to accept her help and compassion?...

"A lot..." He muttered.

"How much?" Her voice was shaking.

"Too much..."

"How much is 'too much!" She insisted stubbornly. He looked at the side. "_Well_? Answer me!" She urged impatiently.

"What if I refuse?" He dared her with a blurred glare.

"Look at you! You can't even think straight!"

"Damn right I can! I can even _win_ this argument!" He reasoned, trying to sound as convincing as he could, but failing miserably when his head tilted back in exhaustion and the mist that had taken control of him all at once. Damn those drugs and those bastards...

"No, you can't! Look at yourself! Vegeta, please!" She begged sincerely.

"I told you, too much..."

"Tell me how much is too much!"

"300 milligrams..."

"W-what?... You're joking, right?"

"Calm down, woman... I'll be fine. I just need to sleep a little..."

"How is sleep to help you with_ that_? Your blood has been majorly intoxicated, we must act upon it."

"No, _we_ don't!" He grabbed her arm before she could leave to 'act upon it'. "Don't." He shook his head. The tears now slid down her cheeks. She tried her best to refrain herself from letting them furtherly do it.

"I can't let you just _die_ on me, Vegeta!"

"You don't even know me, what do you care? _How_ can you care?"

"How can I _not_ care about someone dying in _my_ house?" She tried to reason, but even his blurred gaze told her that in his drugged state as it was, he didn't feel really convinced by her words. How hard can it be to prove your point to someone that had been injected forcefully with 300 mg heroin? "It's just ... I don't know... It's a feeling... As if I was supposed to be here, with you... As if it was predestined or something... I hate such shit as much as you probably do. But... It's something I can't help... It's something about you... About us... That makes me believe that you do want me as much as I want you..."

"Stop it with the lovey-dovey shit, woman... I've grown tired of it for quite some time ahead..."

"No, Vegeta, there is no 'lovey-dovey shit' to what I say... That's what I mean, that's how I feel... I don't ask anything of you... You're not going to live much as it is, is it not?..."

"What? Woman, I am _not_ going to die!" He rolled his eyes at her. She had already crossed him out of the list? So fast? And there he thought she believed in him. How foolish he was to assume that.

"But you said, 'too much'. How am I supposed to understand that?"

"Forget it. Go to sleep." He told her and gave her his back, laying his head down, instantly drifting off to a dreamless sleep.

Bulma sighed and made her way up the stairs to her bed. She had to take some rest, if anything. True, she didn't have school tomorrow, it was Saturday. But she had a lot to study. And if she wanted to continue her little quarrel with Vegeta, she'd have to be fresh.

x.x.x.x.x.x

The lavender haired girl woke up a few hours later, around midnight, after hours of throwing around in the bed, kicking covers viciously as if they were her worst enemy and she found that her thoat was sore and dried. She needed a cup of water. Desperately.

Glancing out of her window for the first time that night, she noticed that the moon was full. She smiled slightly at it. The beauty of nature was always something she could admire for hours on end and not grow tired of it for a second long. How many nights had it been that she had stared at the moon endlessly when her parents were out? She had lost count of them. The moon had always been a part of her day, one way or another.

Her thoughts slowly drifted back to the teen that lay on her med bed, with so much heroin in his body and still breathing and living. How was it possible? If it really was so much, how was he still alive? Why wouldn't he want to tell her what happened to him? Was he ashamed of something? Surely, for the little time she'd known him, she knew that he had a pride twice taller than himself, probably. She knew his pride meant almost everything to him, but she was sure there was something else to it. She still had this anxious feeling fluttering around in her stomach...

As she ventured over to the kitchen, she noticed that the living room balcony door was slid open. Her eyes narrowed. The fact Vegeta had gone out for a midnight walk in his condition was bad enough, but the fact he left the door open was even worse. She growled out in a very un-lady-like manner and strolled over to the glass-door ready to slam it shut with malice to be envied for when she noticed he was still on the balcony. Her eyes narrowed further.

"Vegeta, what are you doing out there? Get inside this... instant..." Her voice died down as she noticed the furry object swirling behind Vegeta's back. It resembled an animal's tail suspiciously much. He turned around to face her only to have her gasp and take a big step back at the sight of his red gleaming eyes. He had a psychotic expression on his face and his fangs seemed longer than the last she'd seen them. She cowered back against the glass door that had somehow slid shut by itself. "Vegeta?..." She whispered scaredly, fear and dread bigger than ever before twisting her stomach into a tight knot.

He growled loudly at her and his tail erected straight upwards. Then he turned back around to daze off at the moon. He stared longingly at it for what seemed like eternity of silence to the girl.

To Bulma he resembled a warewolf. But she was sure he wasn't. Those animals were just a myth to scare children. But then again a human with a fuzzy tail was a very unlikely reality as well.

All of a sudden, Vegeta began gripping at his head. He tore all of his bandages away and began roaring loudly. Bulma swallowed dryly and just observed his ministrations that threw away all of her hard work to work over his wounds. To her biggest surprise, once the bandaging was gone, there were no traces of the wounds, cuts or even slight bruises. He seemed completely healed.

"Woman..." She managed to decipher in the midst of his growling and animalistic roaring. He seemed like he was agonizing... or something very close to it. Maybe he was resisting... But what _could_ he be resisting? And why? "Get away! Run! Now!" He barked out his orders, as soon as he finished his voice into a growl again.

Then it clicked. Maybe he was really a warewolf. Whatever kind of animal he was, the full moon had him transforming, probably. And her presence there got in his way, or maybe... Hope drove her restless heart moving a beat faster than before. Maybe he was worried about her welfare. She had little time to let the thought entertain her. She had to hurry and get out of there before he got out of control. Later she would discus with him what they were going to do about his 'little' problem.

She tried to pull the door but it was stuck. She pulled harder but it still stubbornly refused to open. Bulma inserted all of her body-weight along with all the power she possessed in her body to move the damned sliding door. But she just couldn't seem to manage it. Vegeta was slowly approaching her. His teeth had grown even more and fur was starting to cover his hands and limbs as he slowly crouched over towards her in a vicious manner, as a predator would play with his prey once it was surely up the sleeve. She pushed down a cry and felt a tinge of relief once the door -_ finally! _- slid open, granting her access in the last possible second. She ran inside and armed herself with a prod from the fireplace in a swift movement.

The idea of hitting Vegeta, even though he didn't look like himself the least, made her heart clench, but fear was stronger than any other emotion that was racing within her at the same moment. Safety and survival always came first. The law of the jungle pretty much worked for the situation she found herself in - survival of the fittest.

The changing Vegeta jumped into the room and began hitting various objects on his way towards her, slamming them against the wall, turning them to tiny dust in the process. Bulma gulped and tried to get a firmer hold on her weapon. Her hands were shaking violently.

Before she could blink, the large humanoid had clawed the prod out of her grasp with just as much as a simple flick of his wrist and was now leaning in to strike her too. She shrunk back against the wall and began whimpering. She could not understand how Vegeta could let himself do this... Was she really going to die like _this_?

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Goku glanced worriedly out of the opened kitchen window. There was still no trace of Vegeta whatsoever. And the moon up in the sky was full tonight. He frowned intensely. He hoped his long-time friend was away from people. There was no telling what could happen because of his refusal to remove his... _additional organ_.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Bulma swallowed frequently as she refused exit to any more tears. Her eyes were therefore tightly squeezed shut and she was praying under her breath. She was praying for access to Heaven if she had to die tonight, she prayed she had done nothing wrong during her stay on Earth, but most of all, she prayed for Vegeta to come back to himself. For the little time she'd know him, she wanted to live to see more of him... To befried him, to be there for him! She wanted to know what it was like to really feel such an interest for someone of the opposite gender than you. But maybe she wouldn't have the chance to? As she guessed her prayers would pass by unheard by God - as ever - she uttered the name that had been on her tongue for such a long time, as if it was a charm or a magical mantra that would protect her even in the darkest hours; as if it was the one thing that granted access to everything and anything in the world...

"Vegeta..." Her weak voice whimpered just as the changing teen was about to strike her down.

The animal stopped instantly, it's paw still in mid air. It looked at the cowering female at its front and grunted. It slowly pulled away from her, making her emit a heavy sigh of relief, but her frame still tense as her guard did not go off. All of a sudden he pulled away completely and gripped at his head again, beginning to writhe around in pain, both physical and mental as it appeared. His growls made her shrink back again. She hated to hear him like this, even if his voice was completely altered. She watched in awe as he began to slowly change back. His hands were hairless again, his feet - also, in a matter of seconds. The tail that swung around playfully behind his back being the last remaining thing of his animality, hinting what horrid things could happen to him.

His eyes, onyx deep pools, shone at her again as their gazes locked. He looked at her with desperation. And... regret? Was that his attempt at an apologetic look?... All of a sudden he collapsed against the floor, but Bulma was fast to go by his side and catch him before he collided painfully with the marble flooring.

The girl dragged him towards the nearest bed and set him down onto it, taking some covers out of a cupboard, pulling them completely over him. She looked at his face. There were truly no traces of the monstrosities that had just happened to him in front of her bare eyes. His face now looked calm and relaxed, in contrast of what he usually wore as a quite successful mask in front of everybody. The tail had snaked around his waist, below his shirt, going back to its stealth mode. She narrowed her eyes at it. And to her biggest surprise, it moved in the same moment.

It unsnaked from Vegeta's waist and brushed against her bare kneecap. She giggled and it took it as a hint of enjoyment and urge to continue it's adventure into getting to know the female creature. Then it travelled up to her wrist and pulled her closer to its owner. The female looked at Vegeta's face for any trace of entertainment written over it and found none. Bulma was quite positive he was still sound asleep. Did that mean the little thing had a mind of its own? Or maybe that was just when he was unconscious? She could't wait for next morning. She had a million questions running through her head like an express train, and knowing so much, she was sure Vegeta would have no other choice but to answer them...

She rested her head against his chest, snuggling closer to him under the covers, the tail stroking her cheeks as she drifted to sleep...

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The girl woke up to the rays of sunlight penetrating through the thin curtains in the living-room. She looked at her surroundings, memories of the previous night instantly flooding her head mercilessly like a waterfall. Vegeta's transformation, his tail... Her head snapped up when she realized he was no where to be seen. She was about to panic when he entered the premise with a glass of water in his hand. He scowled down on her and sat on the couch where he could still find place to seat himself.

"As much as I _really_ hate to say this, we _need_ to _talk_..." He sighed deeply in obvious defeat. The girl next to him gave him an examining look. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the cup in his hands. He needed her full concentration about this as it was one of the most serious topics he could discus with anyone, and he hated doing it for it meant someone else had revealed his secret. "Do you mind?" He finally snapped after the fifth minute she spent looking from his fingers to his face and back to the water.

"Are you going to drink that?" She questioned, reminding him awfully much of a person he didn't really want to remember about at that moment. Stupid Kakarott, he cursed mentally. Rolling his eyes he shoved the cup in her grasp and waited for her to down it before continuing.

"Are you listening now?" She nodded curtly, affirming convincingly.

"Will you do the explaining yourself, or do you need me to question and bug the life out of you until I get all the information I want?" Bulma said. Rolling his eyes in aggravation again, the male by her retorted sarcastically,

"I'm not a two year-old, thank you very much." He paused for a moment, forming his words neatly before continuing. "What you saw yesterday I needn't tell you that you were _not_ supposed to see, nor that it should never leave this room or house. _Right_?" He cleared his statements up to the moment. A curt nod made him continue as if he was reciting a report in the military. "Now, I think all you need to know about this is that I will _personally_ take care you never get involved into it _ever_ again, so you should be calm and easy-going as ever." He stood up, startling her. Where was he going? She hadn't heard anything significant yet! "Now, if you'd excuse me, and even if you don't, I have to get back at my house and get back to my life." With a mocking bow he was about to leave when Bulma made a fast turn around him, blocking his way out of the room.

"You're not going anywhere until I have heard everything!" Vegeta growled lowly at her statement. Did she just always had to be this nosy?

"No, I'm _not_! I am leaving _right now_! I want to get back to my own bed and sleep over the whole thing. My body is still trying to work those chemicals over..." He groaned in pain as he felt another painful rip through his stomach. Damn those bastards to hell and even after it! Oh, they'd pay dearly. He'd find out who they were, even if it was the last thing he'd ever do!

"Trying to pull the easy way out by your stubbornness will definitely not work this time, Vegeta, and I'll tell you why." She stepped closer to him. "I know enough to have people,_ a lot _of people, on your back for that pretty little thing you have." She tucked up his shirt and gently ran her finger over the furry object that made a barely visible shiver course through his whole being before he pulled away roughly and hissed a 'Traitor!' to his tail.

"Are you trying to blackmail me?" He hissed. She shrugged.

"I'm just giving you more convincing reasons to make you answer my questions, that's all. Curiousity killed the cat, they say." She smiled sweetly as she took a step towards him again. He smirked down at her and bent over slightly to have his soft lips brush over her earlobe, reminding her what wonders he could do with them.

"Curiousity will kill the lavender haired wench as well." He chuckled and before she knew it, he was around her and about to make a fast exit. She swirled around and chased after him down the stairs as he jumped over four at a time. She took three, but before he could run away - she put all her hopes up not to land flat on her face- she jumped off the last eight stairs and - to her luck - she clinged to Vegeta's back in the last moment, knocking him off balance face-forward. Yet before he could crash against the floor in a very painful impact, his hands extended in front of him and he sprung up his upper body, throwing her lightly off his back.

Bulma collided with the floor with her back first with a light 'oof!' and she stared at the ceiling breathing rapidly as Vegeta glared at her with his head turned to the side so he could keep an eye on her for any other bright ideas such as the last one. Sheesh, she really did catch him off-guard. So much for the woman being predictive.

"Why are you still resisting?"

"Why are you so annoying?" He growled a question back at her.

"What's your problem?"

"What's your business with mine?"

"I'm curious!" Bulma answered truthfully, sitting up next to him as he had pulled himself to rest his back against the nearest wall. "I told you! I won't tell anyone! It's not like I speak seriously with the guys from the gang. They don't really like talking serious..." She started. He gave her a suspicious look. She sighed in defeat. "Whatever! Never mind then! Don't trust me and die in your lonliness, never getting to know what it is to have a _friend_! Can you even pronounce the word, Vegeta?" She was about to get up when his tail grabbed her by the wrist. She sat back down looking interestedly at it.

"You damned traitor!" Vegeta hissed louder this time, making his tail reteat to its base at his waist again.

"Well?" She urged him.

"Well what?" He snapped back. "What do you want to know so badly? Speak!" He demanded loudly. Her face beamed at him and her 360 degree change ot attitude towards him made his onyx orbs roll. Stupid woman, stupid tail, stupid world, _stupid everything_!

"For starters, why do you have that tail? When did you get it? What does it do? And I think I'm quite positive by now it has a mind of its own, or something like that. Why were you so berserk last night? What happened to you? Why does it happen and when?" She shot her questions without taking a breath all the while. She looked at him as he blinked dumbly at her. He knew she was good at talking, but shoot! Did she babble a lot when she set her mind into it. She was about to question whether she had to repeat from the beginning when he spoke and cut her short.

"The tail I have had since I have known myself. I have no idea where it came from or why I have it. It's mine since I've known myself as I said. I have no idea what it does, except for the transformation. It doesn't have a mind of its own, but I haven't figured how to control it yet. The only thing that stupid thing serves me is to turn me into a giant predator that could be related to a huge ape at full moon. Usually, I have more self-control and stop the process before it has even begun or don't look at the moon for that matter, but the drug in my body yesterday weakened my senses and I barely sustained the raw urge to spill blood, be it yours or anyone else's. Every month at full moon my body tries to change whenever my eyes spot the full moon in the sky. Over the years I have learnt to submerge the urge to kill and destroy. Is that enough of information for you!" Bulma was completely shocked at what he stated as if it was something you saw or heard on regular every day basis. He did sound like being a warewolf. She voiced her opinion.

"Years? So much time? Being a warewolf?" Vegeta rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"_Not_ a warewolf, woman! Were you even listeneing to what I said? Don't piss me off any more than I already am! And, _yes_, years! As I have said, I have it since birth, so I had to control myself. Any _other_ questions?" The way he asked he left no room for such. But then Bulma's face betrayed a huge grin. She sat between his bent legs making him glare harder at her.

"And what about the way you shivered earlier, eh?" He paled slightly. She noticed? Damn her! Her prying hands reached for his belt to have her paws on his tail, but he quickly dodged her, bolting back on his legs before she could so much as blink in confusion.

"_That_ is something that you will pay with a finger of yours if you so much as touch it that way again." He threatened and sounded deadly serious about it and was about to leave when her voice that had already started to seriously walk on his nerves stopped him in his tracks.

"Why?" She didn't wait for him to answer. She pulled herself on her tiptoes so her breath would tickle his neck as he was still taller than her, never minding the fact he was not from the people you could label as 'tall'. "If you ask me, I think it was quite an enjoyable sensation for you, was it not?" She kissed his neck that he just realized had been stiff from the uncomfortable position on the couch he had been forced to take. "Does touching that tail of yours make you feel... _pleasure_ of a greater degree?" Her voice was low and seductive.

Vegeta growled and pulled away from her before she could work her black magic over him any more. His onyx eyes glared at him as he was now on the main door frame and made his way storming out of the huge compound turning around just once to see Bulma mouthing a 'Your secret's safe with me' before he threw himself over the fence that separated the two driveways of their neighbouring houses.

Stomping angrily towards his solace and aiming for his comfortable kind-sized bed, Vegeta cursed all women in the world for their ways and a most particular one for being such a goddamn smart ass and too damn observant for her own good. As he reached his room he smirked upon entering. Now who did she remind you of?

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

_A/N: Four in the morning... Need sleep... Tell me what you think, please! As you noticed, when you review it really **does** make me write faster... So, the more you review, the faster I write. You may like reading and be too lazy to review... but then I will, too, enjoy writing but be too lazy to._


	10. Ch10: Prove Myself Trustworthy

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Ten: Prove Myself Trustworthy_

The next Monday Vegeta looked - simply said as that - as good as new. He had no trace of the violence forced upon his unwilling body, not a single scar on his face or arms. She had to continue telling herself that was a good thing, but the bare fact in itself... maybe it had something to do with the tail, as he could have _no_ other chance to heal from something like that so fast. Honestly said, she was starting to get a little scared; perhaps from all the thinking she had done that past day and a half.

She had been wondering whether he had been on drugs before for he had surely to know out of experience that he would heal without a problem. And where did all of those toxins in his blood go? She surely hoped they were already down the drain but couldn't be exactly certain about it, she had no idea how Vegeta's complicated system worked like. One thing was sure - he was definitely not normal.

As the lavender-haired girl walked down the road, she felt a slight wind brush past her and then she noticed it was a guy. On a board, that is. She stopped in her place and looked as he circled her. She recognized the sly smirk immediately and rolled her eyes.

"Why'd you stop? Come on, move your ass, we're going to be late." Vegeta said as he continued down the street. With a quick frown crossing her features, Bulma jogged after him to catch up.

"And since when does Vegeta Ouji care whether he's late or not?" She implied with a sly smirk of her own. Instead of throwing her a death glare or insulting her in any way, the teen just grinned evilly, thinking about something far away from there as he said,

"Oh, I have some unfinished business I have to take care of."

The tone he said that with and the psyching wicked glint in his cold onyx eyes made her shudder. She wasn't really sure she wanted to know what business he was speaking of. So instead of pushing her nose further into his things, she just gave him a fake smile and let herself daze off as they strolled down the road towards school.

How could he not even mention anything about that night? Not even a single thank you! Not a single polite word yet! Well, at least he hadn't insulted her either... But that was an unsatisfying result. She looked at his profile. Even if he physically appeared to be fine, his face betrayed the exhaustion that was chasing on him. She was sure he was unable to sleep the previous night by the almost invisible shades under his eyes. She wondered when was it that she began caring so much as to spend her precious time on thinking whether Vegeta got any sleep that night or not.

"Go ahead without me." He said as the others also approached in the far, a sly expression taking control of his sharp handsome features. "I need to do something first."

"You're going to get in trouble, aren't you?" She asked with an exasperated sigh. Bulma wasn't really in the mood to do the good guy stunt. If he wanted to get beaten up again, so be it. His grin told her she was quite correct. She sighed again and just went over to ChiChi and Juu who were having what seemed like heated argument.

Once rid of the woman, Vegeta pushed on his board faster and raced over to Yamcha, who almost fell when the other boy circled him around. The awe in the weaker guy's eyes was evident to any one who bothered looking for it. There was no other explanation – it had been him and his little friends. Vegeta grinned again. Oh, how he wanted to do this since forever...

Yamcha swallowed dryly and tried to regain his composure as his leader stopped right in front of him and took his board in his hand, stepping closer to the tense teen.

"Are you aware how many practices you've missed, scum bag?" Vegeta asked in a low tone so the eavesdroppers around wouldn't hear. What eavesdroppers? Well, there are always so many of those that you could have not even noticed them around you when you speak with someone. People like prodding their noses in others' business.

"Um... A few?—" Yamcha tried only to have his knee kicked off the board, which had been steadied beneath his foot. He lost balance and fell face forward on the ground, steadying himself on his arms right before he collided with the pavement. The students around have already started gathering and the whole gang rushed over to see what was going on.

"Not just _a few_, you spineless unicellular. You have missed the last ten or so times of practice. May I inquire why exactly or I should spare my breath and just kick you out as it is?" His voice was menacing. Yamcha threw the shorter guy over himself a death glare. Wrong action to make. All it did was earning him a kick in the shin. "You repulse me, scum." Vegeta seethed with a disgusted expression twisting the handsome features of his face. "Don't bother ever coming again in my gang, idiot. The only thing I'll do is kick you out or break your other arm." A malicious grin spread on his face, before it faltered into a tight frown again. "Am I clear, brain-dead?"

Yamcha sighed in aggravation and pushed himself up by his hands and stood on his legs, glaring down at the shorter boy. They stared into each other's eyes dangerously before Yamcha shoved the board into Vegeta's hands, catching him slightly off-guard.

"Who wants to be in there anyway? I hated participating as it was." He tried to convince himself rather than his antagonist. Truth was that being a skater of _Vegeta's_ gang was a very respectable fact in itself; just being one of the few good skaters who have actually managed to squeeze their way so high as to be under the train of Vegeta himself was a really honourable thing. He knew very well that once he got kicked out, and in front of all those students, it would make him look like a complete fool. But he wasn't going to let it show. He didn't care whether people respected him that way or not. "Being under the 'rule' of a dwarf is not my idea of fun." He grinned evilly and turned to leave.

The whole crowd gawked. Vegeta's height was a very touchy subject to the teen. And he never let _anyone_ slip after insulting him so deeply. They stared after Yamcha with fear in their eyes. Just when they were going to start asking stupid questions, the board flew with a speed so high they could barely register it when it hit the scar-faced boy's head, making him double over in pain, his hands grasping his head. Vegeta was no late than ten seconds after right by his side, kicking Yamcha in the gut, making him crouch down.

"How does it feel like to be beat up by a '_dwarf_'?" He chuckled evilly as well, yet his laughter managed to send chills down the spines of even the hugest guys around. Goku tried to push his way through the crowd, but Bulma held a hand up to stop him. He sent her a confused look, but the girl just shook her lavender head, motioning for him to just let it go. The crowd was already decreasing in size after the bell rang. Yet Yamcha was still coughing on the ground, cursing Vegeta and his whole family under his breath.

"Next time think before taking any advances in insulting me, dumb bastard." Vegeta yanked Yamcha by his long hair and threw him to his feet towards the school. "Come any closer to me or anyone from my surrounding and I shall make you pay dearly. And, believe me, this time a broken arm will be what you will be desperately wishing for."

Yamcha retreated in defeat, swearing every now and then under his breath, vowing that he would make Vegeta pay and next time, he'd have his friends inject a decent dose in that bastard's veins.

As the gang watched what once had been their friend stroll away, Vegeta turned back to them and stopped when he heard Bulma's voice addressing him.

"That was incredibly stupid, what you did." He frowned at her over his shoulder. A smirk, much resembling his, graced her lips. "But I still cannot possibly deny it felt and looked so goddamn _good_." The boy chuckled and waved a hand up to them.

"See you inside, losers. I have a detention to take."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

After everyone finally gathered at the table with Vegeta joining the group much later after the discussions have begun, ChiChi cleared her throat rather loudly to gain her friends' attention.

"Now, as I'm sure _none_ of you have noticed, there are flyers on the front entrance that say our school's patron gala day is coming. And it is next Monday." She began. Juu rolled her cold azure eyes.

"And we care, because…?" The raven haired girl threw her friend a death glare, as if accusing her for even stating her opinion on the topic and it was more than unforgivable to think that way of such a thing.

"Well, _Juuhachi_, we _care_ because there will be some tour towards the Eastern Capital." That did it to truly wake her bored companions. "Now, that's quite more like it!" The girl nodded curtly to herself. "As I was saying, there will be some tour towards the Eastern Capital that will include a two night stay in the best hotel you can possibly find out there, some, um, things we have to attend to…" Everyone's raised eye brows in confusion made the girl growl in frustration. "Well, you know, like, we have to go either sight-seeing, go to a disco, visit a museum, and go ice-skating, things like that."

"How much does that cost?" Krillin asked with suspicion evident in his voice.

"And that's the best part! We don't pay! All we have to do is buy our own food, buy our tickets there and we get detention if we don't do anything those two days." She explained enthusiastically.

"I'm so not going." Bulma dropped off darkly.

"Ditto that." Vegeta rolled his eyes at the thought. He could _skate_ in his own town, without needed to attend stupid stinky buses, bitchy Kakkarot girlfriends, idiotic blondes and teal headed creatures still trying to win him over as if he was a trophy of some sort. He scrunched his nose up at the thought. Usually he wouldn't get worked up by such a fact, it was usual for him. But he didn't really feel in the mood for such a thing.

"Support the opinion." Juuhachi spoke as well. "I plan on skipping school next week anyway, see if I care to get detention. Who'll figure out we're not there anyway? Who's gonna make me pay for some shitty three and a half hour drive towards the Eastern Capital? Who's going to notice a few people are missing?"

"Well, for starters," ChiChi began reasoning, making Juu roll her eyes in annoyance. There she went on and on again now… "If all of the people in the school thought the way you do, it will be quite _obvious_ we're not there, as no one is going to go in the first place."

"Not my freaking problem!" Juuhachi exclaimed and was about to leave when Bulma noticed the hurt expression that ChiChi made. Lately ChiChi had been so insistent of all of them spending more time together. The other girl suspected it had something to do with graduation this year and so on, emotions that she did not wish to bring up on the surface of her mind either. It always made her feel worse than she already did. She understood her perfectly and felt a little guilty for opposing her idea in the first place.

"Oh, come on, Juu! We can all set off our plans for later! We have the whole week free anyway!" Bulma joined in, trying to force a mood swing on herself, yet failing miserably.

"I thought—"

"You're coming." She stated it as a simple fact, leaving no place for arguments. Juuhachi narrowed her thin blond eye brows.

"I don't have any money—"

"I'll pay for your ticket."

"I don't have what to eat—"

"I'll buy something you like."

"Bitch…" Juuhachi muttered, sitting herself back down. Bulma grinned.

"Sure am. And you too." She turned her attention to the guy on her left. He looked indifferently with boredom evident on his features.

"You can't make me go." He stated. Her eye brows narrowed, before she grinned widely, an evil glint shining in her sapphire eyes.

"Oh, but of course I can! Don't underestimate my _secret_ blackmailing powers." She laughed like a mad-man, or more like a mad-woman, making her friends all raise an eye brow at the sound that emitted from her throat. That action was never meant for her to make, really… Her statement had been quite harmless, as she meant begging him until he'd just say 'yes' to make her go away. Yet he understood her words, and further more her emphasis, quite wrong. His eyes narrowed dangerously and a raw growl emitted from his mouth.

"Lying wench…" He muttered before storming out of the canteen. And, his action – as always, – left his newfound friends dumb folded, and most of all Bulma herself.

"What did I say?" She finally voiced her thought aloud.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

It had been five days already, and they have dragged so slowly Bulma thought she could die. Five days and Vegeta still wouldn't speak a word with her. And he wouldn't even say what was so wrong with him! What was with that guy?

She wanted to share her problem with her friends, but that would automatically mean she'd have to tell someone about… Well, Vegeta's little frisky problem. She giggled at the thought of his tail. It seemed to like her. Another giggle betrayed her mouth as she remembered how he scorned it when it wrapped around her limbs.

The smile wiped off her face almost instantly. It was then that she recalled all their fights the past week. They had never got along pretty well at all, but their fights were now malicious instead of the heated pointless arguments they usually had. At the end of every single one of them, Vegeta would drop off a 'traitor' or 'liar every now and then. It was annoying, but further more insulting than anything else. She had never betrayed his trust, never said anything to even hint her knowledge of his secret. She replayed the scene at the canteen Monday at lunch… Maybe that was the nostrum to her problem…?

Finally having enough of the cat and mouse game, she threw on some shoes and made her way to his front door, pounding roughly on it. When she didn't receive any answer, she did it again. And she did it again. Before she could repeat her action for the forth time, her fist froze in the air before she could knock with the door being swung open in annoyance, Vegeta's aggravated expression locked with her eyes behind the wooden door almost instantly. He opened his mouth to demand what she was doing on his property, but she beat him into it.

"What the hell is your problem?" She screamed in his face. "What's wrong _now_? You don't like how my hair is cut?" She grabbed a handful of her lavender tresses, shoving those forwards over her shoulder for him to clearly see. "Or, you don't like my clothes?" She clenched her fists over her t-shirt and pulled it forward to mention for it. "Or-or… Or maybe you don't like the colour? Or maybe-maybe… Maybe you despise the way I walk, the sound of my voice, or the colour of my eyes, —and just what is so damn amusing!" She bellowed when his chuckle reached her ears.

"You're psychotic, that's what's amusing." He informed her coldly, pulling her inside his house, closing the door behind her after she entered. Her venomous glare didn't soothe.

"You still haven't answered my freaking question!"

With a heavy sigh, Vegeta made his way towards his couch, only to have Bulma stand in his way with determination written all in her sparking eyes.

"I don't care how your hair looks as long as it has nothing to do with me in any way. I won't care even if you decide to walk around naked. I don't care how you walk, how you talk or how you feel as long as it doesn't get me deaf." It was now Bulma's turn to knit her eye brows in annoyance.

"You know perfectly well what I meant, Vegeta."

"Will you just _leave_? I don't feel like seeing you now. Not ever. Just vanish, won't you?"

"No, I _won't_!" She stated sternly, not moving an inch from her place. "Not before you answer. I have a whole day, if you so much insist on trying to test my patience." She crossed her hands over her chest. Vegeta frowned deeply and mimicked her action.

"So you're not leaving?"

"No." She said haughtily.

"Fine." He shrugged and tried to dodge her, yet she stepped in front of his way in the confined corridor that led inside his house.

"But neither are you before you answer." She grinned.

"I have _nothing_ to say."

"Oh? And just why do I hear myself being addressed as a "traitor" and "liar" everywhere I pass by you! Give me a good reason, Vegeta! I don't think I have deserved anything like—"

"Your "_secret _blackmailing powers", eh?" He quoted. With a heavy sigh she stepped out of his way and sat on the first chair that came into view. As she had suspected, he had understood her wrongly. Again. No surprise there, actually.

"What?" He snapped, following her closely, slapping himself mentally for looking so awfully stupid in front of himself to a girl. But he had more important matters at hand right then.

"You understood that so _wrong_, Vegeta!" Bulma exclaimed, jumping to her feet again, strolling over to his side. "I meant that I had secret blackmailing powers… Well, I didn't plan on using your weakness against you! I would _never_ do such a low thing and you—"

"No, _woman_, I _don't_ know it! I don't _know_ you, and honestly said I don't even wish to!" His latter statement stung hard for an unbeknownst reason to the lavender haired girl. "And you don't know me either, but you still do as if you can force me into anything! Well, guess what! You can't! I won't do as you say, because I owe you nothing! And if you decide to use what you know about me to your advantage… Well, if nothing else, that will prove how much of a liar you are!"

Bulma stared vacantly at his face. She didn't know what to make of that… Did he really believe so little in her? But then again, he never really trusted her. She knew his secret and he got some… well, information out of him just because he couldn't leave her in the dark after she knew about the fact he had a tail. That was quite not something you see every day. He would've otherwise never shared his problem with her if not forced by the situation. She pulled herself together regaining her composure. He didn't trust her; he made it clear to her. He didn't respect her, that he made clear too. If so, then what was she doing still there? Why was she struggling to help someone that did not care whether she was there or not? How could she be still being there for someone that did not wish for help? How could she respect someone who didn't give a damn about her or who she was? What was she doing still there? She had to go back home… The place she truly belonged to.

"If you have so little belief in me without even listening to what I say or what I do… Fine. Deal with your business yourself. I'm so sorry; I really have no idea what came over me! What did I think I was doing? Caring for someone who doesn't even respect the fact I am actually capable of emotions! Have you even heard of those, Vegeta? Or maybe you never heard they can easily get hurt?" She stared furiously in his eyes. There was boredom, aggravation and a slight glint of… regret? What a laugh that thought was! "Have a nice life, Mr. Ouji."

The door slammed behind her, knocking a deadly silence into the eerily still mansion.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The gang was in the bus, the whole front seats taken by them. There was still a vacant seat by Bulma and she was staring emptily out of the window on her right.

"I'm so excited! I can't wait to get on those skates! I've never been ice-skating my whole life!" Marron exclaimed as she jumped up and down in her seat. Bulma rolled her cerulean eyes. She wasn't in the mood of her friend's giddiness. But then again, after sleeping with her boyfriend, while she was still going out with him, was Marron really a friend of hers?

"Me too! I have wanted to go for so long now!" ChiChi called in as well.

"And why didn't you?" Goku wondered.

"I never really had any time… I was so caught up with school, you," she smiled brightly at her boyfriend in the seat by her side, who grinned widely back at her in return, "and I couldn't just ditch things and—And just what in Hell's sake is _he_ doing here?" She cut herself in mid-sentence, making everyone's faces turn to the person in question, who dropped down on the seat next to Bulma, locking their gazes for a brief moment.

"You know I love you too, wench." He implied sarcastically, making ChiChi's face falter. She was about to lecture him with the same speech as ever, but today was just not her day for talking as everyone seemed to so rudely interrupt her without even noticing!

"What are you doing here? I thought no one told you what to do." Bulma frowned heavily, recalling their last exchange the Friday evening. Vegeta shrugged and threw his bag in his feet crossing his hands behind his head.

"That's quite so."

"Then?"

"Then what?" Sighing in annoyance, Bulma just decided to dismiss the dumb distraction that her school mate and neighbour represented and just turned her head to the side, staring out the window at the climbing chauffeur.

"No one needs to tell me to go. I wanted to come on my own." He stated when he saw that trying to squeeze some argument out of her was useless. She was still mad as hell at him. A little voice at the back of his mind reminded him that she had the full right to. Or at least the little voice tried to say so before he squished it mentally.

"Whatever." Bulma muttered, feeling somehow strangely relieved when the bus engine started.

Marron jumped on Vegeta's backrest which was right in front of her seat and giggled sheepishly as her hands entangled around the teen's arms.

"Veggie! You decided to come along! I'm so happy! I'm sure you can do ice-skating just as well as you can do skating!" She screeched in her high-pitched tone of voice, making the male cringe at her volume. Oh, how he hated her voice and… Well, he hated her in general, actually…

"Of course I can, brainless Barbie-doll. And quit on the 'Veggie' part, got it? I'm sure you wouldn't want to see me when I'm angry…" He spoke in a low threatening tone. But instead of having the wanted impact on the brain-dead creature, she just giggled and looked at the side of his face with lust in her eyes as she absorbed every little bit of his handsome facial features.

"Oh! You're being evil… You have no idea how much that arouses me…" She spoke huskily in his ear. He pushed her away and glared at her.

"You have no idea how indifferent you are to me."

"Oh, now, don't be like that, Veggie…" He growled.

"Is she always as stupid as that?" He inquired of the girl in the seat by his. She threw him a bored glance and turned away just as suddenly.

"And _you_ have no idea how little I find myself caring."

Vegeta frowned. The woman was a hard nut. She had been so… well, loving and considerate with him, always putting up masterly with a heated argument, that now it seemed like everything had changed for him… When actually it was just a simple girl that tried to play cool around him. _Tried?_ His mind's voice chuckled at the statement. _If you are as successful in your tries as she is, it could've been different._

Scowling, the dark haired teen made it clear to Marron to leave him alone before he got really dangerous. The whole trip he and Bulma kept silent, while the other kept on discussing what they would do first thing they get off the bus. Eastern city had been a dream for all of them since they have been children. After their town had grown it was just a childish memory, but still…

…Wouldn't _you_ want to fulfill even _one_ childish dream of yours, even now?…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

As there had been nothing interesting going on in our heroes' lives during their little stay at Eastern Capital, we can just retell what activities they have participated in.

Everyone went to the disco the first day. They got drunk badly, barely making it up the stairs to the elevator from the entrance of their hotel and the next day they woke up with a heavy hang-over. Yet that simple fact did nothing to dim their fun.

Later the same day they went ice-skating. That's when they finally managed to pull Bulma out of her room and Vegeta – miraculously – decided to come along as well. ChiChi suspected it was just to show off how well he could handle ice-skating, yet she kept her mouth shut as his slight tutoring helped them all to keep steady on both their feet throughout the whole time on the skating-rink.

The hotel had been just as nice as ChiChi had described. The covers were silky and all soft and nice to the touch. Bulma paid no attention to them as she was used to being treated like a Queen, but her friends had been rather impressed.

Over night, the girls would go to the boys' room and chit-chat and play lame games together until sleep was too strong to fight. The liked just spending some time together… All together except for both Bulma and Vegeta, who preferred occupying a bed in both their rooms.

The raven haired girl by far could not tolerate Vegeta and his attitude towards everyone. But she could clearly see the two had fought and the fact so many people were around just couldn't even serve Vegeta the chance to try and apologize. That's why on the last night she collected everyone after Marron went to sleep (another person ChiChi couldn't stand and was absolutely sure would be unable to keep any kind of secret, or keep to any plan). They decided on interfering in the two's affairs by spreading the false rumor that the price for the tickets of the bus they were heading home had been reduced and that everyone could go and see the U.F.O. that had been hidden by both medias and police after it had landed in the fields by their city. (It was so absurd that you can guess who made that story up… But still you can't start to imagine what suckers people in Eastern City actually are…)

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Bulma dragged her bag against the marble floor of the bus station not caring a little bit what it would look like after she lifted it up.

She looked lazily around in search of her friends. She found no trace of the traitors. And how could she when they didn't even tell her when her bus was? And now they left her all alone and disorientated in the middle of the huge bus station, leaving her to get her own tickets all alone.

Her cerulean eyes traveled up to the screen on one of the high posts. She glanced at her watch and her eyes budged out. She ran for the booking office and took out her purse.

"One for Western City (_A/N?_)." She said to the cashier. The woman tapped a few numbers on her keyboard in front of her rather large plasma monitor.

"I'm sorry miss; there are no places left."

"I can stand."

"I'm sorry; there is no way you can get on that bus. It is already too crowded."

Dejected and annoyed, Bulma fumed as she strolled down the corridors and glared in the direction of the sector where her bus was placed. _Her_ bus. And it was leaving _without_ her! How was that even possible?

With sparks in her eyes she noticed her friends who were waving at her from the same front seats they have been in on their way there as well, grins on all their faces. ChiChi's was the widest. With a heavy frown Bulma instantaneously knew who the brainiac of the whole show was. The girl was about to turn on her heel and kill some two hours before her next bus home was when ChiChi's hand mentioned for her to turn around and to look behind her. The heiress did so and just as fast as she had turned her head around, she whipped it back forward and her scowl deepened, if that was even possible.

"Chi, I'm going to kill you!" She mouthed. Her friend laughed as the bus sped off into oblivion, leaving Bulma all alone for two whole hours with none other than Vegeta himself………

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"What are you doing here?" He inquired in a dark tone.

"None of your business."

Vegeta snorted and didn't ask anything as they ate their way too expensive hamburgers, but being celebrity had a really good aspect in financial side. There was just half an hour before the bus would go. And for those ninety minutes they have shared only a few words between each other. No matter how hard he tried, Vegeta still couldn't make the stubborn woman get into an argument as she once used to. It was annoying the daylights out of him, really…

"The damned harpies…" He muttered.

"Damn ChiChi… I'll make sure to make her die slowly and miserably while writhing in agony once I get home…" Bulma added.

"I knew it was her doing." Vegeta slowly left off. "Damn it…"

"Just shut up and do as if you're not here and I will do just the same to spare us some idiocy, huh?" Bulma suggested. The male shook his spiky-haired head in dejection. This was really going no where as it was. It was just… _inevitable!_

"Alright, fine!" He exclaimed and sat up, dragging her along with him away from the bar towards some benches by the shops on their front. He made her sit and stood in front of her, letting out an exhausted sigh as he tried to put his words together as to inflict lesser damage.

"Well? I believe you didn't separate me from my food just to stare at me like that! You could've done that back there and I don't plan on wasting my time with you. I said everything I needed to and—"

"Admit you wanted to tell your friends about me!" He screamed, his temper getting the better of him.

"How could I not? As opposed to you, I have feelings and I have people that I _trust_! But, guess what else! I _didn't_! I never did! I never wanted to really offend you back there, nor did I want to make you think of me as someone who is not trustworthy. If I cared a little more and if _you_ did, I might've still been at struggling to prove to you I _do_, indeed, deserve to be trusted. I have kept secrets worse than yours; secrets that could get many people in deep trouble. But no one hates me for anything like that now. You know _why_? Because my mouth is shut for such things, as I know better than to betray people and their fragile trust, as I hate being betrayed as well—"

Her endless tirade was cut short yet again.

"Why would you still struggle? What for? Who for? _Why_?" He just seemed like he couldn't understand how a girl's mind functioned when it came to friends. But it was not just a friend she was trying to find, maybe?

The girl wondered for a bit. Was it really something more she had wanted to find in Vegeta? Why was that so? What was so different about him? The fact he was observant of things others would never notice even if you mentioned them exactly to them? Because he could keep a decent conversation if he wished to? Or maybe it was because he was wide-awake, life-awake, in a way so less people were nowadays? It could be because of the fact they were so similar of character and behaviour. Well, at least in a way…? It hadn't really mattered before… Did it matter now?

"For egoistical reasons; for you; because I just set my mind into it." She answered curtly. He stared at her dumbly. He was still trying to comprehend what she had just said and the meaning behind her words. What was it? Selfish or selfless? Egoistical or gratuitous? He found her hard to understand. Sitting down beside her, she kept her gaze forward into nothingness.

"Why did you care so much for me? What am I to you? Who am I to you? No one. Just a figure you often see on magazine covers and a bastard that does nothing but try to make your life bitter."

"Honestly said, I have no idea why I cared, really…" He looked at her. She didn't. "You really are no one to me." He kept looking at her and she kept on avoiding his gaze. "But just to inform you,… Figures from magazine covers also have personalities, some more complicated than others." Her eyes focused on the falling rain. "And what I can understand even less right now is how I can still care…"

Finally, he had managed to catch her gaze. Hurt was just as evident in the cerulean orbs as it had been before. And it was his entire fault… How could he have inflicted such damage upon this girl after knowing so little about her, as little as she knew about him too… It was an unusual situation for him… People usually had that look after figuring out about his tail, after being cheated on, after anything else but this! He couldn't get it through his head…

His conscious being wanted to apologize, desperately. This girl… She hadn't deserved it. This hurt was not for her… She hadn't done anything wrong. She never earned it… And still… How could he say sorry when his pride screamed at him that he didn't need a fragile female to live as he had… Was what he had been leading those past eighteen years a life even? He couldn't help but lets his thoughts wander in that direction.

No matter how hard he tried to insure himself he didn't care, that he didn't need her, that he could continue the way he had always been without her help, that even if she interfered in his life now she wouldn't be able to do anything to help him as his situation was far beyond helpless stage… He still _needed_ to apologize, just to keep even one sane part of his mind.

Slowly and gently, without any sudden actions, the flame-haired boy leaned in and captured Bulma's lips in a soft kiss, trying his best to transfer all these feelings he neither understood nor wanted for too long in himself to her. He hoped she would understand what such a tender kiss meant, especially for someone such as… well, such as him…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

_A/N: So how was that? Sorry it isn't really eventful… Next chapter you're gonna love! Why? Because **someone** is going to enter our extemporized stage! Can you guess already? Yup, yup, the name is **Hailie**, ladies and non-ladies! And I have to say that I am extremely sorry that I'm writing so slowly, but I just can't start finishing with school-work! I have so much to do and so little time! I still do my best as you see! Next chapter will be far more fun than this one! I promise you that one! Don't forget to review! That will surely help me write it faster!_

_**Usagi Emerald, Thanks a bunch for reviewing every single chapter, girl! I appreciate it highly! It was much of an inspiration, truly:)**_

_Yours sincerely, DHA_


	11. Ch11: Transfer Girl

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Eleven: Transfer Girl_

The two have parted for about three or so minutes now. Three or so minutes, which have actually felt like an eternity… As they stood in silence, Vegeta subtly cursed the damned bus for picking the right time to arrive at the sector. As they sat on the separate benches in a dreading silence for too long to take, Bulma finally got back to her feet suddenly, grabbing her bag hastily.

"Well then, let's go, or we might miss _another_ bus." She rolled her eyes for effect, but Vegeta missed it as he grabbed his own backpack which contained quite all of the possessions of his he had needed for such a short period of time. And he couldn't help but wonder how Bulma could use such a huge bag for two and a half days stay, and what did she carry in it anyway? Women… Such an enigma they were to the dark haired teen…

Jogging slightly to catch up with her that didn't really take much effort since she was handicapped by the heavy bag in her arms that she seemed to have some difficulty carrying. He debated in his mind whether to pull her out of her misery and take the bag as it would do little to slow _him_ down, as he was much stronger than her, but still he decided against it at the tone she had used to talk to him just a second ago. _Unforgivable_, he noted mentally while frowning.

"What the fuck? Are you nerve-dead? Didn't you just sense what happened a moment ago? Or you actually missed what it meant!"

"Meant!" Bulma swirled around with her sack flying around her as well, nearly knocking a few passers-by as they tried to dodge the furious girl and get to their rides before it was too late. "What was _that_ supposed to mean, Vegeta? And why don't you try elaborated _once_ for a change, hmm?" She inquired sarcastically. She was angry. But most of all angry with herself for reacting to his gentle caress earlier. "It could prove truly useful. You should try some day."

She didn't wait for him a moment long before twirling back around on her heel, nearly knocking into some more people as she did so, her bag swinging into a familiar fashion back into its original place against her right foot for support as she tried to hasten her steps. It was a futile try, but she still had to do it, for the sake of her remaining sanity and calmness. Or else she might have tried to take a swing at Vegeta's head with the heavy bag.

"For the little time we've known each other, woman," Vegeta began, catching up with her once again, "and for that time that you claim to actually know me, I think you should've figured I am more of a person of action rather than empty babble. Words mean nothing to me; promises are just as empty as I have been inside all this time. I do not value elaboration as much as you seem to. Should I beg for your forgiveness for that, Your Highness?" He finished sarcastically just as they have arrived by the side of the bus. Bulma pushed her luggage inside and was about to storm inside and take a seat, ignoring him completely before she twirled around and glared at him with furious sapphire eyes.

"If actions do mean so much to you, Vegeta, why didn't you even react _in any way_ after you kissed me that time, huh? Oh, wait, I forgot _you don't care at all!_ Why should you care enough to pay attention to someone you don't even respect, a person who isn't anything to you." She spat and she was about to jump inside when she froze dead in her tracks when she heard Vegeta's joyless burst of hoarse laughter.

"You really do not know _anything_ about me, woman. If after what I have done just a few seconds ago, the- how did you call it, _care_?- which I tried to - yes, - _kiss_ you, - _again_ - with means that I don't give a damn about you and I don't respect the fact you can experience such weak feelings as affection and compassion, so be it, woman. If _that_ is what the kiss meant to you, _fine_! _Now_ see if I care _ever_ again! I'm so sick of your little whims! You're nothing but a spoilt brat that needs to figure out what it wants. Do not expect me to stick around while you're at it." He hissed near her face, his warm breath tickling her cheeks before he disappeared inside.

The way in which his warm lips graced hers had been completely unalike to what their first kiss had been. This time it was so… slow and… gentle… Somehow affectionate and… Pleading? Unwillingly, as she had been still mad at him at the time, Bulma find herself, to her horror, replying to it, trying to make it as passionate as she remembered it. She sighed. Did she really know what she wanted? At first, she wanted his friendship, his admission. After he kissed her, what did she want? After he decided on going out with Juu, what did she want of him? And after the two broke up… What did she want right now?

Furrowing her eye brows as she knew the answer to her mental question perfectly well, the girl ran up the steep stairs that led inside the bus and noted briefly that he wasn't in the seat by the window. It was rather strange, as she heard him complaining to Goku about it after they came in the hotel; he had said he wanted that seat. And now here was his perfect chance to claim it before she could get inside even, yet he still refrained himself from doing so. She frowned deeper. That guy was such an enigma that it was starting to really annoy her!

She slumped down in her seat and glared at her front as so did he, with his arms crossed over his perfectly sculpted chest. They sat in the very familiar uncomfortable silence again and neither planned on breaking the ice any time soon.

"All I wanted was a _single_ apology! How hard can that possibly be? Does it _truly_ cost you _that_ much? It's just a simple word, that-"

He didn't plan on having her babble for the rest of their trip; he didn't feel like in the mood of listening to her rants and endless tirades for hours on end, as he was sure she could continue on and on forever.

"_I'm sorry_!" He yelled in complete frustration with the argument and the whole situation. "There, are you pleased? I said it!" He glared at her directly in the eyes as Bulma's own narrowed.

"I didn't want you to just do something to please me, Vegeta! How can you not understand such a simple thing? All I wanted was that-"

"That I show I care? Didn't I already do that? How much more proof do you want? Do you expect me to come crawling into your fucking feet! Get a freaking grip on yourself, woman; _that_ is something I will never _ever_ do! I have lived my life up to this point _without_ you; I can survive further without you in it too. If you're so desperate to change me, you have the wrong address. I won't _ever_ change because of _anyone_, do you hear?" He bellowed at her and whipped his head not to look at her. "Grow up before you talk to me next time. Just forget it…" He muttered.

More uncomfortable silence stretched itself. Was she trying to change him? What did the words he said really matter? Sure, he has kissed so many girls before her, being so famous and everything. But the sunken look on his face when she wouldn't answer his attempts at starting an argument earlier, his 'tutoring' at the ice-skating rink, his genuine gentleness in that kiss… Why did she need to anger him into apologizing when she knew it was one of the few things he hated the most. It was almost equivalent to admitting defeat. Yes, he had indeed treated her wrong, but… He wasn't really that hard to read once you open your eyes and try to look at things from his perspective.

"I don't want to forget…" Bulma almost whimpered under her breath.

"What?" Vegeta asked in annoyance as he didn't hear what she said, turning his head back at her direction, finding her sulking in her seat, her hands between her knee-caps, her head looking down and her legs. She truly did look like an infant who was refused to play at the play-ground with other children because it had done something extremely wrong.

"I have tried to forget too much… I don't want to forget anymore…" She looked up at him, locking their gazes. "I'm really sorry about my behaviour lately, it… It has been really hard around the house and everything and eventually I guess I just took it all out on you and-"

"Are we quite finished with this argument?" He asked in exhaustion. "I don't really feel like having this whole "do you care" thing on again… I haven't slept well in days, leave me be, okay!" He whipped his head in an opposite direction of her, glaring in the distance.

Bulma sighed in defeat, knowing that she wouldn't be able to say anything to him anymore. She couldn't help but wonder why exactly had it been that he couldn't sleep lately… Could it be that he was fretting over their fragile… connection, which had been on the verge of breaking? Nah, couldn't be.

In his seat, Vegeta submerged the urge to sigh in relief. He was really glad _that_ was over. He didn't like playing victim but then again… neither of them had been right about the whole situation. So he just shoved it off his shoulders and wondered why was it that straightening a fight with the woman brought such bliss over his - which was strange in the first place for occurring - troubled senses…

"Vegeta?"

"What?" He snapped annoyed.

"I'm really so sorry…" Bulma murmured.

Pause.

Still a huge silence.

Heavy stillness…

"Just forget it… I already did." Finally came the low retort.

"Is it really so indifferent to you?"

"Are you really _that_ stupid!" He got angered again, glaring daggers at her. She looked sunkenly (_A/N: Nope, it sure isn't a word, but that Hell of doesn't get in my way of making it one, lol_) back at him. "Do you _honestly_ think it's _that_ indifferent to me since I get so fucking worked up about it? Damn it woman, you're so slow today, I swear."

"I'm sorry…" She said after a few minutes. Vegeta rolled his onyx eyes away from her. This was sure as Hell going to be one _Hell_ of a long trip home…

!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!

After they came back, Bulma finally began to shake herself off of that little depression she had gotten herself into because of… Well, she wasn't exactly sure why. Maybe it was because he accused her of trying to change him before she even got to know him in the first place. Maybe it was because he refused to provide her any kind of information about himself. Or it might be because she desperately needed to really know what she wanted of him… They had considered that topic in the bus again, right before they parked into the huge bus parking lot at the station… It ended up, quite… well, interesting. She just shook off the topic, being extremely uncomfortable about thinking it over even.

They also considered her reading skills and Goku's stupidity (just take a guess who began with the topic) and Bulma just _had_ to say he _did_ have a right in his accusations of his best friend. Goku was definitely not one of the sharpest knives in the court (_A/N: I've only heard that phrase being said, I have no idea if that's what I really want to say… Sorry, not so good with the idiomatic phrases…_), but he had a very kind heart and he was a really good friend to both of them. Vegeta insisted that didn't excuse his lack of knowledge what secrecy meant and just _why_ he shouldn't pig out in public places. Bulma had laughed at that place, visioning the sight quite well in her mind's eye. It was, indeed, hilarious when you weren't the one next to the innocent big guy.

It was late in the evening when they finally got home from the long trip from the other side of the city to Capsule Corp compound. But she didn't plan on letting that fact stopping her even just a little bit from her assault on the phone. No. ChiChi would never be able to hear the end of her tirade.

"Hey, mom! Hey, dad!" She yelled to her parents in the living room, flashing them a bright smile. "Missed ya a lot! Gotta go and talk to ChiChi, sorry! I'll be right back." Her parents had little time to reply to her before her bedroom door slammed shut from up the stairs. The two exchanged strange looks and got back to watching their show, laughing full-heartily at the television set.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"_ChiChi!_" She screeched infernally into the phone receiver once she heard her friend's voice on the other end of the line greet her cheerfully.

"Well, hullo to you too, B!" The other girl laughed and rubbed her ear, putting the receiver back to her ear after.

"How could you fucking do this to me? I thought I told you just how much I wanted to get home earlier! _I-told-you-that_! And you still did what? Desert me in the middle of a foreign city, all alone in the huge station!" Of course, she was over-reacting. She wasn't as helpless as she would have wanted herself to be for the occasion. But right now she wanted to make her friend feel guilty about leaving her all alone with Vegeta for so much time.

"Now, you know that's quite not true, Bulma." ChiChi attained her stern serious voice again after laughing for a bit. "Vegeta was there with you. He might not be quite the best company, but at least he would've protected you if it really became of need for such a thing. Besides, you wanted to come home as fast as possible because you got in some fight with Vegeta, or something like that. And don't you dare say that's not true, because I know you better than you think, Miss Briefs." She said before Bulma could object. The lavender haired girl just chuckled in the receiver of her cordless phone as she laid her back against the bedpost. "So, how did everything go? You're not going to strangle each other tomorrow, right?"

"Well, it could've been better,…" she lied, "But we're getting along again."

"Which means a dozen more arguments tomorrow?" Bulma laughed at this.

"Yeah, but just for the sport." She smiled warmly. She almost couldn't wait to win another argument to her flame-haired friend. He was a friend now, right? Did she want to a friend of his, just a mere friend, after having kissed him all those times already? She couldn't help but wonder to herself… "Tomorrow?" She finally realized the word. "Didn't we have the week off school?" She questioned strangely. The last thing she needed was to put up with her biology teacher tomorrow.

"Oh, we do. But the guys are going to have practice anyway, and after we could go and fetch some more of those burgers to eat. It's going to be quite fun. Since you've cleared things up with Vegeta, as much as I would prefer you not to communicate in any way with him in the first place," Bulma laughed again. She just couldn't understand why ChiChi despised Vegeta so much. Maybe he just wasn't her type, considering ChiChi was the one who had been _Goku's_ girlfriend ever since she first saw him. "You're coming too, right?"

"Sure." The lavender-haired girl smiled. I could use some exercise since I didn't really go out a lot in Eastern City.

"You have no idea what you've missed, B! You're so going to be sorry till the rest of your days!" She laughed evilly. The sapphire eyes rolled at that statement.

"I could just go and buy myself a ticket and do everything you did and even more for just a few days in the same hotel in the best apartment they have. I'm Bulma Briefs, don't forget that one."

"Damn you. I was just starting to have fun and you just _had_ to ruin the moment." They both laughed.

"Always at your service, ma'am." Bulma mocked. And the two got engulfed into a stretched conversation about how their stay in Eastern City had been.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Vegeta threw his back pack on the ground after kicking his shoes off and his new CD player was placed on the nearest horizontal surface that came into his vision and stormed off towards his room, slamming the door shut roughly, showing his companion clearly that he had returned. As he guessed, not more that a minute later, Goku came to him with a huge grin plastered on his face.

"Are you going to stop looking so stupidly at me or I should do you a favour and wipe it clear off your face for you?" He snapped angrily as he switched his stereo on and checked the clock on his bedside table.

"I take that you didn't clear things with Bulma off then?" Goku's face faltered. How were the two going to put up tomorrow since they still were in a stupid fight probably?

"I fail to see how that is any of your business, Kakarott." Vegeta commented as he flipped through the CDs he had burnt on his computer.

"Why did you fight this time? I thought that-"

"Are you quite leaving? I don't feel like considering my personal affairs with you."

"What did you do two hours at the station? Trying not to strangle each other?" Goku's frown deepened. Vegeta rolled his eyes at that. Then a devious smirk crossed his features at the remembrance.

"Maybe… But in a different way from what you meant, Kakarott, believe me. She is perfectly whole. I haven't done anything to her."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Goku pouted. He hated when his friend played guessing game with him. He had sucked at it since forever. His childish reaction only made Vegeta roll his eyes again. Oh, the idiocy of the oaf was limitless!

"It means, idiot, that it is time for you to leave my room, or I'll just put the music on so high that you'll have to get a megaphone to talk to me. Now leave!" He demanded leaving no place for argument. But Goku could be more thickheaded than you might think at times…

"You're still fighting, aren't you? You didn't hurt her in any way, did you? You know how's everyone going to react when they see her throat or something all bruised tomorrow and as strong as you might consider yourself, Vegeta, you're not going to be able to resist so many people, and things are going to get really ugly then and just don't expect me to come to your aid, because it had all been your fault and-"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. What was with that guy? Was he stupid or something? No, no, take that one back. He _was_, and still _is_, stupid. That didn't change a thing.

"First of all, those weaklings are no fucking match for me, Kakarott. Second, do you honestly think I'd risk my skin _even if I decided_ to do something to the woman and attack her in a way that it is going to be so obvious to everyone! And, if you so much insist to know, even if it is truly _none_ of your business, _no_, we've cleared things up. Are you pleased now? Are you leaving?" He demanded. Goku just smiled brightly at the retort.

"Yup! Glad that's clear! Oh, and don't forget that tomorrow we have practice!" The tall guy said as he made his way towards the door, pausing for a moment at it before he went to his room. "Oh, and the gang are all going to accompany us at the skating rink and we're going to the Flora after. Just so you know." He said and exited.

Vegeta stared blankly after him. He couldn't help but feel a slight wave of dread and anxiety wash over him at the prospect of Bulma seeing him on his board at practice. He growled and squashed the weakling feeling. He had to clear his head some before he did anything else. He was starting to get really weak… This was good by absolutely no means. Another raw growl emitted from his throat. He should stop making out with that woman. It was messing with his head.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

(_A/N: -clears throat- Now you're going to wonder just **why** am I making a skater fic if I have absolutely **no** clue what skating consist in… Well,… I really don't have an answer to that one. It just is so cool, and I like watching people skate, but I haven't got a single **clue** how the… uh, terminology of this sport is in my own language, not to mention in English. So, instead of talking gibberish, I'll just skip that part and every single one of you can picture just how I cool I want to picture Vegeta now… Because I sure as hell can't describe it well at all. It's a sphere where I am no where near to knowledgeable. Sorry for the huge block of explanations. Please continue down…_)

Bulma and the other girls sat in the far off end of the skating ramp in front of them, and in the distance there was a long stair case on a few levels. They presumed the railing was quite what they used. She could hear the heated conversations that were shared on the highest point of the staircase and she could see the bunch of boys gathered. They quieted down a bit when their leader joined them, clearing his throat.

"Alright, losers. I hope you're ready to fall some of those boards and get publicly embarrassed as this time we have company." He pointed at the four girls waiting and observing their every action from down the stairs. Zarbon grimaced and his best friend Dodoria did too. It wasn't as if they weren't good at skating, but still… They didn't like the prospect of being watched by a bunch of girls. "Hope that doesn't destroy what little self-respect you have for yourself." The dark teen chuckled.

"Shove it, Vegeta." Zarbon spat, climbing on the stone beginning of the thin railing. His leader frowned but still observed as the green haired boy slid down the railing in a 50-50 grind. Vegeta's frown deepened.

"Try learning something instead of trying to show off with simple tricks, idiot!" He yelled after his 'student', who growled but still did as told. He still hadn't mastered the nosegrind down the railing. It was so hard to switch between grinds with those bent-horizontal changes in the freaking railing! Almost every time he tried to, he fell off the edge and hurt his side. He was already sick of it, truly.

He tried to shift into a nosegrind the first chance he got when he got near solid ground, yet failed miserably and his board continued down without him, yet he managed to stay on both his feet, letting his skateboard collide with the back of the ramp. He grimaced and went to pick it up in defeat.

Vegeta shook his head in dejection. Well that didn't go well… He turned to the side to glare at Goku.

"Kakarott, you're next. I want to see that nollie. And do it _right_ this time." Goku whined.

"Vegeta, my hand just healed from the day before. Do I have to?" He whined much like a two-year old. Vegeta's growl indicated that he, indeed, _had_ to do it, if he valued his life still that was.

"Stop whining, you imbecile and just do it!"

Without further compliant, Goku got on his board at the beginning of the railing and looked down with dread. If there was one thing he wouldn't manage any time soon that was gaining his balance. He looked back at the furious expression on his leader's face and decided that it was time to fall off the board. With a deep inhale, he did a backside smith as he slid down the few levels of the stair case with ease. At the end of the railing, which was slightly high, he tried to kick the board with toes toward the heel side of the board with back foot, and he landed swiftly a mere second after, yet failed to regain his balance and fell backwards off the board, rolling on the ground a bit, letting his own board also collide with the end of the ramp. Bulma was beginning to think it had been actually secured not to break their equipment since this seemed to happen occasionally.

Vegeta's low growl was loud enough to reach Goku's ears as he got up and dusted himself off, picking his board.

"Idiot! What did I tell you about this? Watch what you do and try to keep your weight steady. And _don't fall_ like that, you buffoon! One day you really _are_ going to break something!"

"Gee, thanks for worrying about me, 'Geta." The other teen gritted his lined up white teeth. That guy was just _too much, **too much**_!

"Whatever." He muttered, whipping his head around to glare at Krillin, who was swallowing dryly as he noticed how Goku massaged his formally hurt hand. "Chrome dome, your turn. I want to see that backside crook done well this time, you hear? I'm so fucking sick of all this explaining I must do every freaking time!"

"But, Vegeta, you know how hard it is for me to keep myself on the board in that grind… Can I practice it some later? I don't feel like-"

"Falling? Too bad. Then do it so you don't fall." He shoved the guy forward towards the end of the railing. "Come on, I don't have all day the waste on this!"

Gulping, Krillin also tried his luck. He also failed. And so did most of the guy that went after him. Today Vegeta was in an especially sore mood and it honestly gave his students the creeps. They didn't like it when he was mad. Because usually they were the ones that paid the price for it.

Bulma frowned deeply as the last guy fell hard and hit his head in a nasty bump. She hated when someone just ordered others around. And she suspected that everyone was getting all worked up about his skills for no apparent reason. She hadn't seen him skating yet. Maybe he just didn't want them to see how awful he is doing in public. After all, he had missed practice for three days. That probably already got him out of shape.

"Hey, vegetable head!" She yelled, satisfied to hear a growl which assured he was listening to her. A few chuckles from the small crowd could also be heard. "Are you afraid you'll fall too, or all you can do is order people around?" She bellowed so he could hear her.

"Are you challenging me, woman?" He answered back, his eyes narrowing. How dare she question his ability?

"Give me a reason not to!" She called back. Frowning, he pushed his way up the railing, picking up his black board. He smirked as he looked down the railing. This was going to be fun. He'd make them all gawk.

"Ready when you are, wench." He yelled to her. It was her turn her eyes to narrow.

"Come on then!"

The four girls observed with interest whether Vegeta was going to fall like their other two best friends. He rolled down with a backside smith grind, something a few people failed to do, the whole first level. After he slid down the short horizontal surface, he shifted into a backside crook and slid so the second level. He fought for balance, steadying the board into a 50-50 grind at the third stair-level, making a heel flip on the horizontal part of the railing before the forth bent part of it came, and just at the end of it, he shifted into a frontside feeble. Before he could land off the railing, his kicked his board, flipping it over into a nollie. He landed gracefully, like Goku did, but unlike him, he managed to keep his balance as he made it on solid ground. He flipped his board around, skating in fakie towards the small group of girls that hadn't realized they have been holding their breaths during the whole show. The killed his speed down and stopped right in front of Bulma. (_A/N: No idea if the whole thing's possible… It's a fanfic, remember? Bear with me!_)

"Is that enough of a proof, or do I need to 'elaborate?" He chuckled at the baffled expression she made. He managed to combine all the stunts that most of his students failed at, all into one, on such an uncertain surface and didn't fall, didn't even lost control of his board. She looked down at the thing and for the first time she noticed how it looked like.

It was purely black coloured. It looked pretty simple from the side, but really interesting at the same time. The only ornament on it was a snake-like silver dragon on the surface. She stared for a bit before he pulled away and went back to ordering around.

"Alright, now. Try to do what you _can't_ better while I go for a coffee. And no complaints, none of you have earned one yourselves." He turned around, ready to leave before he remembered something. "And don't slack. If I see even one of you slacking, I'm going to kick you out like I did with that scum bag Yamcha. Got it?" He yelled scornfully at the remembrance of the imbecile. Oh, he had craved for this moment for a long, long time now. Finally, practice would be a rather bliss without the annoying worm.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

After Vegeta had returned, there was another two hours of practice, before he dismissed all of them and he and the gang decided they have earned a good snack.

"I had no idea you could do those things." Bulma said as they sat in the Flora. Vegeta smirked from his seat opposite from hers.

"There are many things about me that you don't know about, woman." He commented, munching slowly on his Flora burger. Oh, bliss… He had waited for this the whole day…

Bulma grimaced at him. She didn't like his tone. She didn't comment on it nonetheless. Suddenly, she remembered of something she and the other girls had done while the guys were training. It proved to be quite true, yet she refused to believe one of the paragraphs.

"Hey, Vegs," She began, making him groan and swallow his bite.

"Hallelujah! Another nickname! Congratulations, creative one!" He exclaimed sarcastically. Bulma just hit him playfully on the shoulder, muttering a 'shut up!' as she searched for some paper.

"Does anyone have a pen?" She asked. ChiChi searched her purse but finally it was Juu who gave her one between bites.

"Why do you need a pen all of a sudden?" ChiChi asked her with interest.

"I want to see what the fortune-telling game will say about Vegeta!" She exclaimed, scribbling something on the sheet. Juu clapped her hands together as well.

"Oh! You do that! I'm eager to see!"

"I don't like fortune-telling games. They're all such a fake and none of that shit's true." Vegeta reasoned, trying to dismiss the topic as soon as possible. He truly loathed those things… It was what he could have done in kindergarten. He was a senior in high school, damn it! And so were they! Why wouldn't they just act like their age?

"Oh, don't be like that, Vegeta. You'll see; this one is the closest one to the truth that you can have." She continued to write. Deciding that trying to escape this stupidity was futile and just a waste of his time, the dark haired teen knew he would have to put up with her, just for a bit. Soon, he was passed the sheet and the pen. He cleaned his fingers in the napkin and looked weirdly. "Now, these are five animals, written in a random manner. You have to put them in the order you would most like to see them!" Bulma said excitedly. Raising an eye brow yet deciding against questioning, Vegeta did as told. Bulma had to remind her friends not to peek over as he wrote; she wanted it to be a surprise. He didn't really take that long before he looked up again, annoyance quite evident on his facial features. This was far beyond stupid.

"Now what?" He snapped.

"The second row contains five words. Next to each one write the first description that comes to your mind when you hear that word. But, write something that has sense, not dog - bone, or something like that…" Bulma reasoned, making Vegeta's onyx orbs roll.

"I got the freaking idea, jeez." He didn't take too long to fill that column as well. He looked back to her again. Everyone was getting edgy already.

"The final column consists in colours. When mentioned the respective colour, write of a person who you associate it with. Like, yellow - Juu, but not because her hair is blond, or because she usually wears yellow or something like that. Think of it as a colour that describes one's character."

"Fine…" He muttered, writing fast something. Finally he stopped above the last colour, doubting whether to write what was on his mind or not. If he did… and it was really a trick question as he felt it was and all those idiots heard and believed whatever the stupid game said it was… How were they going to react? He continued staring blankly with the pen above the colour that read 'red', still considering the possibility of writing it. Bulma noticed his hesitation and elaborated more.

"If you don't want us all to hear something that badly, you could just write X, or Y, or whatever you wish. Or I could just not read it, or whatever you wish." She shrugged. "The most important is for you to know who that is."

Finally, deciding, Vegeta scribbled the final colour and passed her over her things. She grinned and stared weirdly at the piece of paper when she noticed there were two numbers in front of a few of the animals in the first column.

"Well!" Marron asked eagerly.

"Read the first line before the second one." Vegeta explained.

"Why are there two of them?" Bulma raised her fine eye brow as she read what he had written. He shrugged.

"It's a kind of those character-explaining things, is it not?" He questioned rhetorically. "I wasn't like this my whole life. I changed in a short period of time. I thought you could want to know how else I could've put the animals in order, if you met me two years ago."

"Okay, okay. So…" She just shook the topic off, as she was getting more interested every time he tried to keep something of his past in secret. "First you have placed the tiger. That means that the biggest priority in your life is your pride." Vegeta smirked at that. 'True…' Bulma thought short-lived and continued down. "Second, you've placed the cow. The cow stands for career. Third in your list is the pig, which stands for money." She grimaced. He was so predictable. "Forth is the sheep, which stands for love. And last and least comes the horse, which stands for family."

"For the first time I cannot agree more with a fortune telling game." He smirked widely at him.

"This was easy to guess by ourselves." ChiChi snorted. Vegeta paid no attention to her. What caught Bulma's attention however was the other numbers. Tiger, sheep, pig, cow, horse. Two years ago, he had valued love quite more than he did now. Why was that? She also noticed that his pride stood before all of them, in both rows. She smiled secretly to herself.

"The next column. For the dog you've written 'callous'. The dog stands for what you think of yourself." Vegeta snorted at that. "For the cat, you've written 'treacherous'. The cat is what the relationship between you and your girlfriend is." Vegeta laughed full-heartily at that. True, true… All the women in his life had a 'treacherous' relation to him. "The rat is what your conversations are. You've written 'bite mark' against that one." Bulma smirked at this like Vegeta did as well as she read. "The coffee is your opinion of love. You've written 'darkness' on that one." He laughed darkly again. "The ocean, 'infinite', as you've written, is what your life is."

"Right," he implied sarcastically. But actually, he still thought he couldn't agree more on that one.

"So? Come on, what are you waiting for? Read, read!" Juu urged her.

"Okay, okay, jeez…" Bulma sighed and started reading the colour column. Vegeta also watched her with slightly veiled interest. "Yellow is the person you won't ever forget. That's Marron." Marron squealed in the same time. Vegeta rolled his eyes.

"Do you have to wonder why I won't?" He questioned no one in particular and Juu nodded in understanding. Marron's annoying high-pitched voice was something she would too, indeed, never forget.

"White stands for your twin in life. That's Juu by your writing." Juu grinned at that point. Vegeta glared at her.

"Stop looking at me like that, damn you!" He cursed under his breath, yet loud enough for Juuhachi to hear him clearly. Yet the teen did not cease her actions. She was Vegeta Ouji's twin! How could she just stop like that? Nope, she'd grin at it for a while now.

"Orange stands for the person that is your best friend." She expected to see her name written here, but managed to mask her disappointment well. "That's Goku."

The tall guy hugged his best friend in a bear hug, shortly after shoved back by the shorter boy.

"Keep your hands off of me." He demanded. His friend didn't pay any attention to the hostility in his voice.

"Green is the other person you will remember your whole life." She looked quizzically at the foreign name scribbled in Vegeta's beautiful writing. She just noticed how graceful and beautiful his letters were. "That's… Hailie, if I read quite correct what you've written."

"Time to elaborate! Who's that Hailie girl?" Marron squealed. Juu's eyes flashed with interest, yet Bulma just stared blankly at the sheet. She was just looking vacantly at the last, fifth, colour in the column and the name, or more like the pronoun next to it.

"I don't plan on doing such a thing." Vegeta said. ChiChi gathered Bulma's attention and pulled her out of her short trance-like state of mind.

"What about the red?" Vegeta snapped his head in Bulma's direction as well, waiting for the final word to be said.

"Red stands for…" She looked at the sheet again. It was just a stupid little game, she told herself. It didn't mean anything; it didn't say anything about the person or what they were really like… But he had been way too correct with everything to that point. Goku was truly his best friend, despite what the flame-haired guy claimed all the time. Juu was so much alike him in so many ways that it was truly scary… Marron with her bubby character was truly someone you could never forget for her annoying giddiness… She left a certain mark in one's psyche. And Hailie… She seemed like someone who had been important to him in the past, by everything she had heard from Juu about their little conversation on the topic and such… Then… Could it be true?

"Well?" Vegeta inquired, quite losing most of his patience with the topic.

"Red stands for the person, who's… the love of your life." She said slowly and her eyes shifted to the pronoun next to it. For a moment the whole table stood still. Vegeta knew what he wrote and he was having a similar debate with himself like the one Bulma did. Could it really be?

"Well, who is it?" Juu asked.

"Not important." Bulma said and crumpled the peace of paper, folding it into her jeans' back pocket.

"What? Not important? Bulma Briefs, give that here! I wanna see!" Marron exclaimed and tried to fetch it.

"Marron." Juu, who sat by the other girl said in a threatening tone. "If there is something Vegeta trusts only Bulma with, you should just drop it." Marron grimaced but still figured that fighting Bulma was useless. Her lavender haired twin-like would be able to crush her in no time. After all, Marron was truly the weakest from the girls. With an award-winning smirk, Bulma sat in her seat and ate on her hamburger again.

"Whatever. Let's change the topic." ChiChi said. "Did you hear a girl is transferring? In the middle of the term? That's quite impossible! We're like so different from the other schools and transferring in the middle of the first term is a suicide." ChiChi commented.

"Yeah, I heard that rumor too. I think they said it's a girl from your old school, Vegeta." Juu turned to the boy in question.

"And I care, because,…?" He inquired.

"Weren't you popular there?"

"Of course I was. I still am. The whole city knows who _I_ am." He said sternly.

"Well then, you might just know her!" Juu said pleased, a strange grin on her face. "The name sounded really familiar, but I didn't care enough to remember it."

"Whatever…"

"Vege-kins?" A disbelieving voice from behind him exclaimed quietly. He whipped his head around, dreading the sight he was about to take in. There was only _one_ person in the whole wide world that called him that… It was disgraceful and painful after all this time and after everything that had happened to hear that nickname again. He hoped it was someone else, but it wasn't.

Bulma noticed that it was the same girl with the same school uniform from before. Only this time she could look at her better. She was a mid-height girl, not too short, not too tall. Yet it still looked like Vegeta was taller than her too. She had the same long black coloured pleated skirt and the navy long shirt, her dark violet tie hanging lifelessly on her neck, collecting her shirt's collar tidily. Her eyes were emerald, and clear with obvious joy and… excitement? She had a very short hair cut (_A/N: Picture Ayanami Rei hair-style, exact replica of it_) and her auburn locks hugged her neck and cheeks gently and loosely.

She shifted her eyes back to Vegeta who had taken a similar stance to the one he did when he saw the pair before. Yet he was glaring at the girl that was closer to him more than at the other one. His eyes sparked with anger, they were dull and distant. He hid all emotion except anger and …betrayal? The girl took a chair for herself and sat at the table next to him, a bright smile gracing her features. No one on the table let out a sound as she did so.

"Brittany, take a seat too. Vege-kins is here, after all!" She exclaimed, her voice quiet and low. It wasn't as high-pitched as Bulma believed it would. She was all over him, but the lavender-haired girl also noticed the disgust the boy was watching their new companion with.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Aw, you know how much I loved those Burgers!" She exclaimed, giggling slightly. She appeared quite weak… "Besides, you should get used to having me stick around. I decided to follow you into your new school! Orange Star High, or what was it?" She asked ignorantly.

"And just _why_ would you do that?"

"Is that the transfer girl?" Juu inquired. All the attention of the inhabitants turned to her.

"And who are you?" The foreign girl asked herself.

"You all seemed to want to know who Hailie is." Juu nodded, and so did Marron. Bulma and ChiChi as well as the rest of the boys kept their stoic expressions. "Well, here she is. Your new transfer girl, Hailie Mizuhara." Vegeta said dreadfully, rolling his eyes at his statement. He hated even her name now…

With a glare, Hailie's emerald eyes traveled over all of the girls sitting on the table. Neither looked at her haughtily. They were genuinely surprised. All expect for one. The lavender haired one…

The colouring of the other female was what caught Hailie's eye. The long lavender tresses made that girl probably more exotic than she believed herself to be. Her clear sapphire eyes shone with a heated emotion that she recognized very well - jealousy. Perhaps that was Vegeta's new girlfriend. Well, she would see about that… She was determined on getting her man back, and this sissy prissy Barbie girl wasn't going to really be an obstacle.

It had been such a long time since Vegeta had seen this girl… So much time and he had quite enjoyed himself in the mean while. He didn't have a worry in the world, he even had time to enjoy himself, to forget about his hurting past, to forget everything that had been and to believe that maybe, just maybe, he could start over. If nightmares do come true, his just did… And he didn't like a second of it… He thought he had buried that part of him as he left his old school… He deserted everything - his old apartment, the old class, the whole school, he even made Goku move in with him in his new place! And what for? To have the bitch chase after him? That was not going to work for him! He'd be damned if he ever retreated to her ever again!

With a fake smile plastered on her face, she confirmed Vegeta's words, not once breaking eye contact with the exotic female on the other end of the small table.

"Hey! I'm Hailie! Nice to meet you guys!"

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

_A/N: Another not so very eventful chapter. But… I hope you liked it. It explained, especially the fortune telling game, what Vegeta thinks of his life, and how his priorities have been while… Well, two years ago. And you'll see what's been that two years ago if you review lol! More elaboration on the Hailie topic since she' already arrived at the scene next time. Hope you liked it! I sure as hell loved writing it! I just wanted to show you how Vegeta feels at the time… Anyway… Please review! You know how pathetic I get when it comes to reviews! Please?_

_Also, I don't have an idea when I'm going to update next time… I have so much to do, so little time… Read bio to find out more… Really, really sorry… Have an exam some time soon now… Depression is knocking on my door too… Sorry… I still do my best, you know… Everything for my wonderful readers… :)_


	12. Ch12: Competitions

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Twelve: Competitions, Contestants and Confessions_

The table stood still, all eyes studying the new girl. She didn't look really special at all… Her emerald eyes being the only thing that could possibly make a difference between her and any ordinary girl. Why would Vegeta date such a girl, Juuhachi wondered to herself. She was put under the impression Vegeta thought highly of himself, and he wouldn't 'lower' himself to have an ordinary girlfriend, would he?

As if reading her mind, Hailie whipped her head in direction of the blonde girl who was still sort of gaping at her with a closed mouth, at least.

"You wouldn't want my first impression of all of you to be you have no manners, now do you? It's only polite to introduce yourselves too after I introduced myself." She stated haughtily. Juuhachi frowned, while Marron began hurrying to introduce herself to the transfer girl. ChiChi just snorted while Vegeta attempted a comeback, but was beaten to it by Bulma herself.

"I could care less what your stupid first impression of me could be." She said darkly, her eye brows knitted together in a dangerous manner. The brown head's attention snapped back to her at the sound of her voice. "Besides, it's better for you to know the worst part of me, that you seem to bring out just with your existence near me, before you plan on messing with me and getting yourself into trouble, wouldn't you, miss Mizuhara?" She let the words flow off her tongue smoothly, as if her business-like tone was her second nature. Well, actually, being the daughter of the creator of Capsule Corporation, it truly was.

"Well, I _must_ admit, you are quite right there, miss Briefs. I know the names to each and every one of you, but if you were taught some manners, you would've known that for the sake of politeness it is good to state them anyway." She faked masterly a sweet smile, but Bulma saw right through it and growled lowly, gritting her teeth at the bitch's statement about her manners. Who was she to tell her what she had and what she had not? The nerve of that low creature…

Before things got out of hand, Vegeta decided to take matters in his hands. He knew how violent both girls could get with their words, how deep their accusations would start to get, eventually, and - even being a boy and everything - he still couldn't allow them to get engaged in a cat-fight in the middle of a public place.

"It's quite enough you're going to bother me the whole fucking year, bitch. Get away from me _now_ before I forget _my_ manners and just throw you out of here by your fucking collar." He hissed at her and she leant against him, causing a growl to emit from his throat at her bold action.

"Aw, Vege-kins, you know how much I hate it when you curse so much…" She whined, making his growl grow louder.

"I don't give a flying fuck what you think, can't you get that through your thick skull? How hard can it be? Or maybe you prove to be more brain-dead than I ever thought." He stated and leant back against his chair. The girl pouted at him.

"Now you don't need to get abusive, darling." She traced his jaw line with the tip of her finger. "I'm just trying to get back what is rightfully mine…" She said, about to lean down and steal a kiss before Bulma caught the back of her short cut hair and pulled her away from Vegeta's seat.

"Not so fast, Ms. Seduction." The lavender haired girl let go of the other one's hair once they were on a safe distance from the place Vegeta was sitting in. The gang watched the pair with amused eyes, and a smirk took over Vegeta's expression for the first time ever since Hailie came near him. "If you are so eager to get him, you'll have some competition in winning the prize over."

"He is no trophy to win, idiotic bitch." The other girl hissed fixing her uniform. "But if you want to be squished by me in that inferior competition of yours, bring it on! I can always win to you, at any time."

"Oh, now, now, it's not me you're going to be quite so competing with." Bulma said smugly.

"Then _who_ am I going to be competing with?" Hailie repeated her question, getting quite irritated with the whole topic to begin with.

"It's the two of them and me." Bulma pointed over her shoulder to where Juuhachi and Marron were sitting, and her two friends were also offering supportive glares at the new girl. She looked skeptically at them, but kept her mouth shut. She just threw a last glance at Vegeta.

"We are _all_ well aware who's going to win once I got myself into this, right?" Her face twisted into a smirk again. Vegeta offered one himself, getting up and walking past Bulma to Hailie, bending over to get near her so she would feel his hot breath on her cheek. He remembered that before she hated it when he did that before... he growled in his mind. Before he would kiss her. He hated himself for getting involved with her in the first place now… He hated everything about her… It made him feel sick…

"We do, Hailie. And if you do too, you're well _aware_ that it is not you." With that he stood tall behind Bulma, who crossed her arms in an award-winning smirk that much resembled Vegeta's and let her body-weight shift back so she was laying against the boy behind her. With a low growl the brown-haired girl turned on her heel, letting her long black skirt flipping behind her as she did so.

"That is why they are called competitions, Vegeta. You never know what twist there might be meters before the finish line." She hissed, motioning for her companion to join her as she marched for the door angrily, knowing full well that the exotic coloured little bitch had won the battle this time. But Hailie would be damned if she let herself lose the war. It was a mere second before she closed the door behind her that she heard Vegeta's low voice. Not as gruff and cynic as it always was… but the low heart-shattering tone that she got to know so well those few years ago. The tone that he used with words that were nearly able to make her break down in tears every time she heard him…

"You can't always get everything, Hailie. You proved me well enough that I was truly never your priority." Gripping at the door handle as if holding to a lifeline, the girl exited, subtly followed by her schoolmate.

Silence had taken over the group once again. Vegeta sat down and pushed his empty plate away while the others continued to eat in silence. They were thinking over the events that have occurred for so little time… and how they were going to change the entire situation in the gang. But most importantly, Bulma thought, the strange impact and affect the new girl had on Vegeta… She had completely sent him to a new world, where he was so deep in thought that he seemed like he was dead… Unblinking, distracted, … hurting? It was truly awful for her to see him in such a state… It was so un-Vegeta-like that it was scaring her…

"I'll see you losers tomorrow." He said, grabbed his board from under the table and made his way towards the mansion for a well deserved work out in the basement. He needed to set some of that anger free, or he would crack up completely, if that is even possible.

After he left, the conversations were began anew. Juu and Marron made a silent agreement to unite with Bulma (who was currently ignoring them and thinking of something completely different) and kick that Hailie gal out of the picture. She sure as Hell annoyed the daylights out of them too. She was too arrogant and too haughty for their liking. She'd see Hell tomorrow at school for messing with the most popular girls in school.

The three girls thought about teasing Bulma for being so protective over their dark brooding friend, but once they saw the deep thought she had trailed off to, they decided against it, still haven't heard everything that had happened between the two on their way home. Neither of them would really share what their experience had been… And none of their friends planned on playing the role of the noisy inconsiderate one. They just let things flow naturally…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Next week had to start smoothly. But it quite didn't for everyone…

"_Damn it, mother!_" An ear-piercing shriek rang through the empty sleepy halls of Capsule Corporation living quarters, scaring every living being in radius 2 miles or so. The heiress to the biggest company in the world was on a rampage…

"Now, now, dear. No need to use such foul language, you know. All I did was let you rest a little bit more."

"How does half an hour fit in your idea of '_a little bit more_'?" Her daughter snapped back angrily at her with some difficulty as she was still brushing her teeth. "Man, mom, you know how awful my Math teacher gets when I'm late!"

"Well then just tell the woman that you have been _busy_ with a young man last night, and she'll surely understand, since you're a teenager and everything…" The ditz of a mother of hers giggled madly. Bulma rolled her azure eyes. She had to be kidding…

"Mom, I told you a thousand of times! I went over to Vegeta's and Goku's just for a game of Play Station. And besides, it wasn't just me! The whole gang was there. I didn't even get to be alone with him!"

"Aw, maybe that's what got you so worked up, dear. Don't worry; I'm sure that if you ask your friends next time, they would surely understand and leave you two to yourselves!" Bulma slapped her forehead with her palm. The woman was just incorrigible… The whole conversation was generally pointless, damn it! And she was already so late for school.

Yet if there was one thing true about her mother's mindless pointless tirade of blather, it was that she, indeed, or at least sort of, wanted to be left alone for a bit with Vegeta, so she would have the chance to talk to him about his… Well, his ex-girlfriend that had entered the stage with a loud bang and still they knew nothing of her, and the bitch had already began to act insulting towards them. Why would she do that? Wasn't she new? Was that how new people treated the other seniors nowadays? How rude, really… Maybe she could even leech some info off of him about her past or where could she hit the nasty little worm so it hurt her badly… She had never been a nasty player, but she could tell that things were going out of control too fast for her liking.

Putting on a tight long sleeved shirt that showed some shoulder skin and some baggy jeans, she swung her backpack over her shoulder and ran out without taking a second glance back or even listening to her mother's yells to her about food or something like it. She could care less that she would be forced to eat the crappy canteen food. Once in a long while it shouldn't affect her… much.

Running at her best pace, Bulma got sight of the school building right when the bell rang. She put all of her remaining forces into racing through the winding corridors, taking twist and turns towards her classroom. She got there right on time, by her judgement, but Hailie was already there, no longer with her complete school uniform, yet she seemed to be so devoted to the black pleated skirt that she had not bothered to change it. She had a tight dark green blouse on that went down to her hands. The snake was currently shaking her head at her foe's lateness.

"Now that's not quite a nice start to the day, Miss Briefs." She mimicked what the teacher would've said if she had been there. It sounded so lame…

"Mind your business, wench." The girl slumped down in her seat, taking a deep breath to steady her breathing. By some cruel joke, the other girl had seated herself right on Bulma's left side. It was truly such a wonderful start to the day…

"It seems you're quite not physically fit, Bulma dear. Maybe you should reconsider your participation in this cute little competition we are having here and quit while you can, before you get hurt, hmm?" She offered sarcastically, faking sweetness again. Bulma mimicked her expression masterly and turned her head to the side, so the other teen could see her face clearly.

"You wish that to happen so badly, eh? I hope not everything about you is as spurious as your expression, because otherwise you will be the one that will need to quit before she got herself involved into something that will turn her down completely. I do hope you take embarrassment well, Hailie dear." Taking her books out, Bulma ignored the other girl quite well, getting engulfed in reading something. That was before the door burst open and an acquaintance of theirs joined the buzzing room full of ecstatic students.

All students looked up to see their most enigmatic school mate join the premise. Bulma lifted an eye brow at his choice of clothes today. He wore a black sleeveless shirt (Bulma was _sure_ he picked that one out of his closet exactly for this day, so they would drool over his well sculpted arms; but she refused to be one of those brain-dead 'chicks' that only drooled over good-looking guys; no, she had not stooped that low yet… she still had difficulty gathering her gaze back though…) that went down nearly to his groin and covered the top of his navy baggy pants. What was more interesting to her today in him was the fact he wore a chain on the right side of his pants. It had quite a large stitch, but the metal was gracefully winded and the thing looked… well, flawless on him. It made a quiet clanking sound with each heavy step he made. His scowl was firmly put in its place on his face, making his appearance as dark as ever.

The boy walked between them and to his seat behind Bulma, his headphones in his ears as he put his (new) Discman on the desk, waiting for the teacher to join them. Hailie had a hard time not staring while Bulma wondered why he wore such a heavy object on his pants that would get in the way of his skating. She wanted to ask, but he just brushed her off, scribbling something on a piece of paper that he refused to let her even do as much as glance at.

The teacher came in and gave everyone tasks for the upcoming test next Monday. Both Bulma and Vegeta got ready almost immediately after the task had been given, and to their surprise, or more like just to Bulma's, Hailie was too. She glared back at Vegeta, who mimicked her expression and with even more venom written over his features. Just as the girl thought that she would be able to insult him somehow and manage to trigger an argument, he threw a paper ball at Bulma, which hit her head and fell on her desk in front of her. She glared daggers back at him, but he just nodded towards it, getting back to the additional problems the Math witch had given them both.

Unfolding the paper while grumbling lightly under her breath, Bulma noticed it was a note (whoa, surprise, surprise, she mocked herself). _'I've taught Hailie calculus too. Now giggle or I'll have to choke you with that chain.'_ On the side of the note, as she was sure he wanted her to look more natural at doing it, there was an SD (_A/N: Super-deformed_) figure of himself, grinning madly with the chain in the little Veggie-like's hands. Bulma giggled at the image and wondered what else he could draw besides himself.

She collected the note and put it in her back pocket, yet not before noticing the killer glare Hailie was throwing her the same moment. She could only guess what the snake thought Vegeta had written her. She looked over her shoulder to see her dark flame-haired schoolmate smirking at her and lightly, almost invisibly to everyone else, nod his head at her. She flashed him a smirk and continued doing her work.

"Now, who's up to solving this problem? I must tell you first that it is very difficult, it has a lot of catches and too much calculating to do if you don't know how to proceed with it, so be very alerted when you-"

"I'll do it." Hailie jumped from her seat, swinging her hips back and forth seductively as she did so. Most of the guys enjoyed the view, while Vegeta was having his fists tightly balled, watching at her trying to gain the upper hand, trying to show off with what _he_ taught her… He'd see about that one, alright…

After five minutes of heavy calculating, many mistakes and the impossibility of the problem began to get its tall on the proud girl. She wouldn't fall on her back yet though! She'd be damned if she let that bitch win over her.

"Will someone assist Miss Mizuhara at the desk? I don't think she's having a nice time doing that by herself…" Vegeta stood from his seat, snatched a piece of chalk and began trying to redo everything from the beginning. Easily said, the two being so engulfed in their little mental subtle battle had a very hard time concentrating, which caused him to have just as many mistakes. The old woman shook her head, wondering what was up with Vegeta, her best student (Well, it's natural to prefer an attractive young boy instead of an annoying know-it-all slut, as she saw Bulma as such).

"Miss Briefs…" She sighed in exhaustion. The girl's cerulean eyes looked up from the note she had been staring at for some time now, and smiling lightly to herself at the cute little Vegeta-replica on it.

"Yes?" She asked, not quite updated on current news. The old woman rolled her eyes.

"Solve the problem on the desk your two school mates have a hard time to, _please_…" The woman seethed between her clenched teeth in irritation. She hated to ask the girl to do anything. She despised her for everything she had and for all the people that would die to be at her feet even…

"Uh?" She dropped off stupidly, glancing at the two that were still trying to desperately find the solving to the problem. The seemed to have a mute competition on which one of them was going to finish it right first. But none of them seemed to have any results any time soon… "Sure thing."

Bulma grabbed a small piece of chalk herself and made Vegeta give her some room to write. She erased most of his recent writings and continued from where his mistake began…and she solved the long problem in only three lines. With a victorious smirk she went back to her seat, leaving a fuming Hailie and an amused Vegeta stare at what she had written. It was so stupid and obvious that they both wanted to smash their heads into the black board, hoping to mop it inside their heads this time. No such action was taken however. The teacher just shooed them back to their seats, disappointment slightly obvious in her eyes. Vegeta smirked and put his headphones back in his ears for the rest of the class, continuing to scribble something on another piece of paper that he ripped off his notebook.

Minutes before the end of class, it hit the lavender haired girl over the head again. She looked at it and saw another one of those cute little drawings. It was her, on a platform in front of the whole class who were staring adoringly at her with stars in their eyes; Hailie's steaming self away from the crowd and the snorting teacher that was staring disapprovingly at the lavender haired girl. And, of course, he at the side of the picture, snickering evilly at the expression Hailie was making. Below the picture there was written, '_Man, you seem better at making her mad than I ever was! Hilarious. Look at her right now! Ahahaha!'_

Bulma took a side glance at Hailie who was buried in her papers, still fuming over her lost battle.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"We sure as hell made her feel like an idiot in Biology!" Juu said to Bulma, who was still laughing hard.

"Did you see how flustered we got her?" Krillin added, joining the girls. The remembrance only made Bulma double over in laughter. No it was too much to take… The picture had been truly hilarious.

"We're awful guys, really…" Bulma said, trying to calm herself, yet failing miserably, breaking into another fit of laughter.

"Yeah! Besides, who cares about her? Certainly not us!" Juuhachi said, taking a bite of her apple as they entered the canteen as it was lunch break (finally).

"It's one hell of a day today…" Bulma said as she sat herself on the bench next to Vegeta, who was already digging through his meal.

"Why? What happened?" He inquired, trying his best to veil his interest. Truth was he felt sorry Bulma had some classes together with Hailie and he didn't get to see what happened then.

"Nothing really. I made the bitch doubt her knowledge of her own genitals." Bulma laughed again.

"Yeah! That was pretty stylish, B!" Juu exclaimed, patting her friend's shoulder proudly.

"Yup! I did my best alright. She's so naïve, actually…"

"She's easy to manipulate when she isn't manipulating _you_." Vegeta said between bites. Bulma knitted her eye brows. The others didn't quite catch the note in his voice, but she sure did… What did he mean? That she had used him? What did he say that other day? He had never been her priority or something like that? What was the meaning to that? She couldn't understand and couldn't get him to talk to her in private… He refused to leave…

"What's with the chain today, Veg?" Juu asked, taking another huge bite of her apple. "Won't it get entangled with your legs when you jump off of that board of yours?"

"I'm not going to practice today." He informed them.

"Why not?" Bulma inquired with unveiled interest. He lifted his onyx orbs to her for a moment then turned back to his dish.

"I let Kakarott in charge today. I'm going to work out more tonight. He'll do tolerable enough if he still treasures his bones." His words, in Vegeta language, meant that Goku was the only person he could trust his students with, and the only person he trusted at all. Bulma wondered about that… Did he trust her truly now? Would he ever? She knew about his tail… His tail! She had completely forgotten about the little bugger. She kind of missed it already.

"Why not work out after practice?" Juuhachi inquired.

"I have shared enough of my plans for the day with you, harpies, and I don't plan on saying anything else more. I'm not in the mood for the "Twenty Questions with the Annoying Blonde Wench" game." He informed them and finished off his meal.

"Are you sure you're going to be fine, Vegeta?" Goku asked as he seated himself across his friend with a meal as big as his had been.

"I'm eighteen years old, goof; of course I'll be fine. I can fucking take care of myself without needing your stupid concern, got it?" He snapped, making his way out of the canteen towards the school backyard.

Bulma watched him leave, taking a sip from her orange juice.

"What's up that bastard's ass now? He's really more annoying than usually…" ChiChi muttered while seating herself next to her boyfriend, a soda in her hand.

"He's been in an awful mood the whole day." Goku sighed in exasperation… He had no idea how to act or what to say to his friend… He knew how hard it must be to have to face Hailie every day again, to deal with her trying to get under his skin again… He imagined how bad the struggle actually felt…

"I'll go take a walk; I'll meet you guys after school again, okay?" They all nodded subtly, Marron having a 'great' idea of hers popping up in her head.

"I think I'll go try to soothe poor Veggie-chan! He needs a girl right now." She was about to leave before Juu caught her hand.

"He might need a girl, but that girl is definitely not you." She informed her coldly.

"Hey! That's no fair! If I want to go and be the good character in our story, play fair and don't stop me! Or I'll make you feel sorry you did, you know!" The empty headed blonde-under-cover screeched at the azure eyed girl, that was currently glaring daggers at her.

"Just sit down and eat your food, idiot."

And that was the last thing Bulma heard before he got out of earshot. She needed to find Vegeta…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Soon enough after, she had to duck behind a corner not to be detected by the flame-haired boy that she had been in search with and the transfer girl. They were entangled in an interesting position, but she doubted Vegeta had been willing to participate in the first place… Hating to eavesdrop, yet knowing she would need to if she wanted to know what was happening, the girl did her best to hear what they were talking. It wasn't as hard as she thought it would be…

"Why are you trying to be so cold to me, Vegeta?" The girl moaned in irritation. "I _know_ you love me! You said it before! I heard you say! I heard you moan my name in your dreams! We had it so good before! Why are you trying to deny all those feelings that we shared? Why do you refuse to see the truth? Stop this nonsense, Vegeta, it's pointless! You know how much we have behind us, how much history we've created together! You can't just throw it all away in a flick of your wrist! I need you! More than ever!" She began coughing madly. She struggled to form words, but she couldn't stop herself. Bulma could almost feel her newfound friend roll his onyx eyes.

"Drop the act, Hailie, it won't work anymore." Anymore, Bulma wondered. Was what the annoying wench said true then? Was he really in love with her? Then what happened to break them up? He wasn't top priority to her, how was the lavender haired teen to understand that? She cheated on him? Neglected him? _What_, damn it? The ignorance was driving her insane by the second. She wanted to know, desperately. She saw the pain in his eyes every time the other girl did as much as say a word to him. "Things aren't as they were before… And it was not _I_ who threw everything away so easily. And you know that full well." His tone was low, but not threatening… It stung Bulma's heart deep down to know that such a strong and proud creature such as Vegeta could hold so much inside… He didn't even show any signs of such deep seeded grief before… He was just annoying, arrogant and overall a prick.

"Please, Vegeta! Give me another chance! I told you a thousand times how sorry I am! I didn't want it to happen this way, I was just scared and-"

"_And it's all over now!_" He bellowed at her, losing his calm demeanor. "I don't want this anymore, can't you understand that? I pulled long enough with your bullshit! I can't force myself to it anymore! Yes, I had feelings for you. Did you think of that when you jeopardized my fucking mentality! Are you proud with what I am now! Huh? Are you? Because, believe me, it is _all_ your doing! You should be _really proud_ of what I've become! Thanks to you, now I am just as unlovable as _you will ever be_!"

"Don't say those things to me, Vegeta! Don't put me on that guilt trip again! How many times must I say how sorry I am, damn it? I'm getting really tired of this!" The girl screamed back desperately. Bulma could feel her voice crack and knew that she was crying now. Somehow the grief in her voice too made her heart shrink back. Another reason to know what had become of those two. They seemed to have a really strange relationship alright.

"You put yourself on the fucking guilt trip. I was there for you! For fucking years, I was there! Did you even notice that? Did you even care! You know what, screw this! I don't care enough to be leading this conversation with you! Leave me be! I'm tired of all of this!" He said and was about to leave when Bulma took a glance behind the corner. She saw how Hailie pulled him back into a deep kiss, but he shoved her away from himself not even a second after. "Don't touch me… Don't _ever_ touch me like that again… I have never been yours; I will never be what I was again… You can think over _why_ exactly is that while you make your way home on your own." And with that he was out of sight, leaving Hailie in a mess in the back.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Vegeta stood against a tree in the backyard, leaning for support on his bent knee while his other leg was resting against the withering grass. Bulma approached him slowly, cautiously.

"'Did you think that I was gonna give it up to you… this time? Did you think that it was something I was gonna do… and cry? Don't try to tell me what to do; don't try to tell me what to say… You're better off that way. This guilt trip that you've put me on won't mess me up I've done no wrong. Any thoughts of you and me have gone away!'" Bulma sang lightly as she sat herself next to him, supporting herself back on her hands, both of them looking towards the huge beautiful school building.

"I hate Avril Lavigne…" Vegeta muttered after.

"You should try to apply those lyrics a little bit more to yourself though." Bulma commented, not looking at him, as neither did he look at her.

"I'm fine. And I don't need you here right now. I want to be alone."

"No, Vegeta. That's quite not so. You need to talk to someone about this. It will make you feel better." Bulma explained, as if she knew everything there was to know.

"How much did you hear?" He asked her grimly, knowing full well that her curiosity got the better of her.

"Everything." She informed him curtly.

"Wonderful." He dropped off sarcastically.

"You weren't going to tell me if I asked you anyway." She said in her defense, even though she didn't really feel like there was something to defend herself from. She was a friend of his, and as such, she thought she had the right to know about his problems and helping him solve them, as his running away from his previous life was not quite the smartest thing he could've done, and besides, that was not solving a problem. He was just trying to run away from it… Even though, she didn't mind that. Otherwise she would've never got the chance to meet 'Goku's best friend'. And eventually, she wouldn't be here right now, trying to play the role of the shrink who knows everything about human emotions.

"What makes you think I'm going to answer you now too?" He inquired in irritation. She was trying to butt in his business again. He couldn't help but get annoyed by how she seemed to think of him incapable of dealing with his own problems. What did it have to do with her anyway? She wasn't going to make it with that friend's bullshit this time. The trick wasn't going to work this time.

"Well, for an example, I won't leave until you do."

"Fine then. Hope you're ready to just lie around here for hours without getting an answer, because I don't plan on telling you _anything_ in near future."

"That's alright. I'd enjoy lazying around some…" Bulma said and laid on her back, looking up at the sky where the white puffy clouds were floating like light boats in the sea of the atmosphere…

"That's not even a word…" Vegeta muttered darkly, breaking her little moment.

"I said it, so it makes it one." That statement of hers emitted a snort from him.

They stood there for what seemed hours without saying a word to each other. Both of them just dazed off in a far off distance, trying to figure out what the other was thinking, perhaps? It didn't matter, for the stillness was quite beginning to irritate our flame-haired skater. He sighed in exasperation after fifteen minutes of complete silence had passed and she still hadn't given up and didn't seem on planning it any time soon either.

"The bell just rang."

"Oh, that's alright. The Science teacher will manage to have her lesson without me."

His dark eye brows narrowed dangerously over his eyes. She was kidding, right? Little miss perfect was going to miss school? Right… Something was very wrong here…

"Why is it that you want to badly to know these things about me? They have freaking nothing to do with you!" He exclaimed finally, getting fed up with her stubbornness. She was as thick-headed as him. This was just getting them nowhere.

"I told you before-"

"_Don't_!" He cut her before she would continue with the same old shit again. He had heard that lecture enough times already. "I don't want to hear that again… I've heard it plenty of times already."

Bulma blinked weirdly at his mean behaviour. Nothing that she wasn't used to actually, but she didn't feel like fighting with him right then. She couldn't get the picture of the broken Hailie out of her mind… What had happened! As huge of a bitch the new girl was… she was still a girl! She surely had emotions that she was shielding from the people she saw as enemies. Meaning her, and her friends. They were strangers to the emerald eyed creature. She was surely scared and alone… She didn't really seem that close to the girl she had been with at the Flora.

"Well then, I should just saw what I think if I want you to do the same, shouldn't I?" She asked rhetorically.

"That would be quite a start." Vegeta snorted again with sarcasm being first nature to almost all his statements.

"I like you." Bulma said plainly. Vegeta took a side glance at her, lifting an eye brow skeptically, as if holding back his retort 'no kidding'. "No, I mean, I really like you. Not for your body, not for your looks of for the fact you're famous and taken as the coolest teenager in the entire country right now. I have fame enough of my own, I'm good looking enough myself to have any boy I like… It's just that you're so different from everyone else, enigmatic and interesting…" His eye brows fell over his eyes again.

"So I'm interesting." He asked threateningly. Not really understanding what he was trying to say, Bulma nodded. That was what she said after all. "And imagine when I tell you everything you want me to. I won't be interesting anymore, would I?" Chuckling lightly, the girl leant back in the grass again, as somewhere during their conversation she had plopped herself on her elbows to look at him.

"It's not the fact that you keep your personal life away from every one of us that makes you interesting, dummy." Vegeta frowned even harder at the way she had referred to him, but still didn't say anything, his silence urging her to continue. "It's just… Look at this." She took the second note out of her front pocket and opened it, showing it to him. "Look at it! Can just any ordinary guy draw something like _this_? Damn, even _I_ can't!" She smiled warmly at the picture. It was really so adorable…

"Last time I gave in to such girl-talk take over my senses, I ended up turning into _this_." His face twisted in disgust as he motioned himself with his hand. Bulma frowned and sat up to look at him with a scowl on her features.

"And what is _this_?" She inquired. His jaw line tightened, as she guessed he had gritted his teeth.

"A shadow of a person… A mere shell and a memory of what I have been… I haven't been that mistrusting my whole life… But trust proved to only make matters in my life worse… I learnt to live on my own and to push all my emotions away… They were useless and the only thing they did was getting me into deeper pain…"

"Do you really think I'd hurt you?" Bulma asked lightly.

"How am I to know you won't?" He lifted his eyes to lock with hers and stood with their gazes locked for a few seconds. He was right. There was no chance for him to know she wouldn't break his trust like Hailie had obviously done… But the two girls were so different! Bulma hated to be compared to others. She was who she was. She was herself. She wasn't like someone! She was just like herself.

"So how do you plan on continuing to live? Completely on your own, Goku being the only person you entrust with your secrets, having flings to satisfy your raging hormones every once in a while?"

"I don't see anything wrong with that…" He spat. "It's better to live in loneliness than get fooled by people trying to get under my skin with their false consideration…"

"You don't have an idea how lonely you'll get one day, Vegeta…" That one truly set him off totally.

"What do _you_ know about loneliness, woman? You've always been surrounded with your friends! Even though your parents might not be at home so often, you still have them to support you in your worst moments. And me…" He began, his voice trailing off. "As I told Hailie,… Both she and I have been unlovable our whole lives… And I still am just as unlovable as ever… But I'd prefer to continue my life in loneliness instead of getting hurt again."

"You prefer to give up before you even try?" She asked him slowly.

"Are you calling me a quitter?" He snapped back angrily. He hated to be made to feel weak or inferior, especially to a girl…

"Pain will be a permanent part of your life now, Vegeta… Which one is better? To be hurting all the time, not having a single thing to be happy about the whole day, or to have a girl that trusts you, and makes you happy when you're together, giving you a reason to smile, if not outwardly, at least to yourself, when you remember back to the previous events of the day at night, before you fall asleep?"

"You sound so confident, woman… You seem too sure you're going to be able to keep my fire burning." He smirked at her, expecting her to return the gesture with the same cocky expression. But she didn't. She just smiled warmly at him.

"I told you. I like you, for who you are. I want to get to know that person before I can say for sure. But, if you're so afraid that I, of all people, the weakling girl next door, am going to come out stronger than you, that's okay." She smirked and looked up at the sky, remembering a song that she had loved so much… And still did, as a matter of fact. "'I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned, I believe you can't appreciate real love until you've been burnt, I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side, I believe you don't know what you've got until you say good-bye…'" Her voice was smooth and soothing. She opened her eyes and looked back to her interlocutor. He was just looking idly at her. "Wonderful song, isn't it?"

He didn't say anything… Just kept on staring at her. She said it again. She liked him. For whom he was. And didn't even know him! His mind screamed back at him. So what, she didn't know him. She'd find out soon enough… No need to rush things… The corners of his mouth twitched lightly for a moment, a weak attempt at a sincere smile that he just didn't manage to enforce on himself, but Bulma still saw him… She smiled back.

Slowly, she felt him coming closer to her. And, for the first time, they shared a sincere kiss. No excuses, no back feelings, no trying the ground anymore. Just a simple sweet little kiss that would seal Bulma's sweet little confession in the damaged teen's heart and mind…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

_A/N: So, here's your next chapter. Hope it's not too sappy… I'll fix it later on. Needed a little more fluffiness around with all the Hailie shit and so on, lol… So what **did** Hailie do to him? Dunno, dunno… Stay tuned to find out._

_P.S. Number of reviews matters people… Your opinion does too. And, just a note, I tried to have Vegeta curse only when he's mad. You know how hard it is to control yourself when you're actually on a rampage, lol._


	13. Ch13: Girlfriend

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Thirteen: Girlfriend_

Ten or so minutes later, Bulma had gone back to school, failing to convince Vegeta to follow her example at doing the same. He claimed that, even after her heart-melting confession (or at least _she_ saw it as such), he needed some time to himself and to get some fresh air, so he stayed in the tree's company for a while.

Lunch was a good twenty minutes over and her next class had begun already. There was no use in going back to class. So the heiress just decided to go and spend some time walking around the halls and… well, thinking things over.

She couldn't help but wonder what her relationship with Vegeta was now… After she told him that she liked him; no, that she was interested in him; did that change anything? It wouldn't have if he had not kissed her afterwards, would it? Did it change anything now? To her, it changed almost everything… She had been completely sincere with him… Did that even mean anything to him? She couldn't help pondering such things as she strolled down the empty corridors, content to have the only noise penetrating her ears the sound of her steps echoing throughout the hallway.

Subconsciously, she let herself think whether or not she was to be considered Vegeta's girlfriend now… She giggled at the thought, imagining them walking together towards school as they usually did even now, yet with her having her hand around his waist, while he had one of his sinewy arms over her shoulders, wrapped securely to keep her close to his warmth-emitting body. She smiled at the silly fantasy. Even if she _did_ become Vegeta's girlfriend, she knew well enough even now that he wouldn't be the type to show public affection for his girlfriend. She had talked to him in the bus about it before. She snorted. He needed a slight attitude change, she mused.

As the girl stared out the window at her 'prince' beneath the beautiful tree, she smiled to herself. She'd known since the moment she saw him first that there was something special about him… He was special… She wanted to get to know him; she wanted to be his friend, his lover, his girlfriend, his best friend… The One who he can always trust with anything. She giggled against herself again. She thought that there was no use of that stupid 'competition' now, because in her eyes she had already won…

But, as we all know, things and decisions like that are not taken so hastily.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The rest of the day Bulma spent with her friends, and actually she didn't even manage to catch a glimpse at Vegeta the whole time of the remainder of the day. She had frowned at that fact. He wasn't avoiding her, was he? She sure hoped not. So, deciding to just leave it be and see how things progressed tomorrow, she just laughed and talked with her friends, letting herself drift off to dreams that had a little next to everything to do with the dark enigmatic teen that night…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

**Tuesday, lunch…**

Bulma plopped her books next to her seat at the edge of the bench and flashed her friends a wide smile. ChiChi's eye brow quirked up at the expression the lavender haired girl was giving them. She just shrugged it off; deciding that she probably finally got herself laid and dismissed the topic completely, taking out her lunch box. It had taken her an eternity to get those ready, really… They deserved all her due respect…

"What's with you?" Juu asked her friend, taking a bite of her sandwich, not really caring about the answer.

"I feel that it's a nice day today," Bulma answered cheerfully, taking out her lunch too. Goku landed on the table soon enough after, carrying his heavy tray with him. He looked at Bulma for a second too before giving her one of his trademark toothy grins.

"Hey, B! You seem cheerful today!" He took a bite on the sinewy-looking meat. ChiChi grimaced at him and shook her head. He was acting like such a savage every now and then that it was just dejecting… He would simply never learn…

"Yup! It's a good day today!"

"How'd you decide that?" Krillin inquired, getting himself involved in the conversation. Bulma's blazing azure eyes turned to him.

"Well, my mom and dad said they'd let me to have the whole compound for my birthday and they won't be there to bug me the night of it! They said they'll spend the previous day, _a whole day_, with me and me only! How am I not to be cheerful, darn it?" She grinned from ear to ear. Her friends, never being the ones to know about how rarely her parents were actually home just raised their eye brows at her and resumed eating. Bulma was just hopeless every now and then…

"Whoa, some event you have there," a familiar deep masculine voice mocked, as the owner sat in front of her across the table. Bulma just grinned widely and nodded. He did too, a strange expression crossing his features for a fragment of the second before whipping his head back behind him. "What's taking you so freaking long, wench? Move your ass faster if you don't want me to famish!" He snapped at a girl behind him.

Bulma's eye brows narrowed as she noticed Marron approaching them with difficulty, trying to balance too many plates at a time, as well as a wide tray that was quite filled with food. She took one step at a time, looking really concentrated at the dishes, as if parting her gaze would knock them off.

"I'm doing my best here, Veggie-chan…" The blonde-under-cover whined with her shrill annoying voice, causing Vegeta to wince and cover his ears with his hands.

"What the—" ChiChi began only to have Vegeta chuckle, gaining her attention back from the idiotic blue haired girl. The dark eyes of the teenage girl narrowed dangerously.

"She's so easy to manipulate, I couldn't resist." He explained himself. ChiChi huffed at him, and lifted her chin up and away from him. He was such a loser in her eyes… Yes, she hated Marron too, for the idiotic wench had tried to seduce Goku continuously when she first saw him (she wouldn't stop complementing his well-built chest and his skills in skating (as if she had ever seen him skate, ChiChi huffed mentally) and rubbed herself against him; poor Goku had no idea what she was doing and offered her to buy her a board too so she could skate with them), but using her so blatantly because of her inferior intelligence was just… Repulsing.

Vegeta on the other hand just dismissed ChiChi's act of disgust. Well, she was not exactly his idea of a good person either. Kakarott had never been really weak himself – he had managed to save Vegeta in random situations that he would otherwise have difficulty with many opponents… But just by the voice of the harpy, stupid Kakarott would cower and do everything she wished. The boy wrinkled his nose up at the thought. It was really disgusting how _she_ controlled him about everything he did! He wouldn't even breathe if that wasn't ok with her… Truly despicable…

Before she could trip over and drop everything over the unsuspecting-looking Vegeta, the boy grabbed all of the dishes and placed them in front of himself, leaving Marron to collapse on the tiled floor in the cafeteria. She smiled sheepishly up at him.

"Thanks." She muttered.

"You're welcome." He chuckled. Was she so stupid not to even see that she was being blatantly used? And she was thanking him? Bulma shook her head.

"That's really low…" She muttered, gaining the teen's attention. He just glared at her and kept eating. Bulma also narrowed her eyes at him but kept her cheerful demeanor as she began discussing with Krillin and Juu what he birthday party would be.

Vegeta's ears invisibly perked up when he heard the certain word. _Birthday_. He looked up to lock his eyes with the happy-go-lucky expression on the woman's eyes. He smirked mentally at it. So, she was turning eighteen on the twenty-first of November eh? That was not even three weeks away from now. Then he suddenly remembered _the other thing_ and grimaced. He always hated this time of the year…

"Hey…" A voice greeted the table unconvincingly. All eyes looked up to meet a pair of emerald ones. There were bags under her eyes… Vegeta narrowed his eye brows at her. He wasn't really in the mood to deal with stupid Hailie… "I see that you told them?"

"I haven't. And I don't plan on doing it." His voice was stern, leaving no place for complaint. Bulma wondered what he was talking about, but didn't have much time to do so as Hailie strolled down over to him and embraced him over his shoulders, leaning into him from behind the bench.

"I'm quite sure she'd like to know…"

"I don't care what you think," he hissed, but still didn't push her away. And that fact in itself angered Bulma beyond belief. The nerve of that bitch!

"Does that mean that I can give you what I have—"

"No, it means anything but _that_." He hissed venomously again and this time, to Bulma's pleasure, he shrugged her violently off of himself and glared daggers back at her. "I have told you a million times that I _hate_ that and I don't believe a bit in it. Besides, I don't want to touch anything that you have bought…" He snorted.

"Are you going to share with us what exactly you have been talking about?" Juuhachi inquired after Hailie huffed and went away. He shook his head and continued to eat.

"Oh, come on, Veggie-head, you know you can trust us…" Marron said seductively, leaning in to rub his shoulders. He hissed and jerked himself away.

"Damn it, woman!" He snapped at her, his onyx eyes sparking venom as he glared her way. What do you want to do, kill me? Don't touch me!" Marron blinked strangely at him.

"What did I do?" She questioned quietly, reaching out to his shoulders again, only to have him pick his dishes and get up.

"Leave me be, witches! Damn it… One can't eat a fucking lunch around here at peace…" The spiky-haired teen muttered, making his way towards the exit. He'd return the plates later. Juu stared after him then at Bulma's pissed expression, then she decided to go join him outside. She needed to talk to him, face-to-face.

At the other end of the table, Bulma could barely believe what her eyes were seeing. After all they have talked about; he was still flirting with other girls, clearly… First Marron, then he let Hailie hang herself on his neck… Unforgivable, she mused to herself and just shrugged the topic off. Maybe she just let herself think way too highly of everything he did, when it actually meant nothing to him… Silly her, again… To believe that he cared _that_ much… He had to be an idiot not to be physically attracted to her, or blind for that matter. But there was nothing else… Nothing of what she was feeling towards him…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Juu found the person she had been looking for near the cafeteria doors after he had inhaled his food and trashed the plates onto each other in the pile of dirty others such. He was in haste for the exit, but she would follow him out too.

"Why did Bulma seem so happy at first then when she saw you she went in a subtle fit? I know her well, Vegeta; don't try to lie to me." She pushed her luck as she chased after the broad-shouldered teen. He didn't pay heed to her words; he continued strolling down the hall with hands in his pockets, not really thinking where he was going.

"I've got no idea what you are talking about." He answered curtly and clearly. He wasn't about to get rid of her that easily, she mused darkly to herself with a sly smirk on her expression.

"You honestly have got to be kidding me. First of all, you know well enough that I'm halfway out of that… um, competition of yours. You know I ain't really interested… Second, Marron has never really been of your interest. She's too loud for her own good and too stupid for that matter as well. I don't really see what you could possibly see in her. Which leaves only Bulma and Hailie in; and by the way you act towards the latter little bitch I can say we already have a winner. What are you waiting for?" He put his steps to a halt and turned around sharply to face the blonde who was looking just as intensely at him.

"Stop acting as if you can control me or my actions. I will do with my life whatever I want to!" He informed her angrily, planning on storming off towards somewhere. Anywhere but from here, with her. He needed some more time to think to himself… Yesterday had not been enough for him, obviously.

"I can't tell you what to do with your life, but when it concerns a friend of mine, it's my duty, as a friend, to try to knock some sense into you." He held his actions again and chuckled, his back to her.

"Oh, how so? Since when did you begin to care so much for the woman so dearly yourself, eh?" He asked mockingly, turning back around to her again.

"It's not just her, you moron." His eye brow twitched at the way she had referred to him. The nerve of that woman… "Look at yourself! Look at your hands! Look at your eyes in the mirror! I see the way you two look at each other! I can already tell! You're destined to be together!" She smiled at that. "Why are you being so stubborn about it?"

"I don't want a girlfriend right now, or needing one for that matter." Vegeta answered coldly, looking away.

"I see you had a hard time with that Hailie chick… But she's nothing like Bulma from what I know…"

"Since when have all of you begun trying to set me and the woman up?" He asked, on the defensive now. Juu just laughed full-heartily at that.

"It's so obvious. You two are made for each other… Why do you continue this nonsense? There is no use… The only thing you can do is drive Bulma away." She informed him darkly. "Just so you know, Vegeta… No matter how horrible of a person you might've been back in your past, or what has happened to you… She will understand… Everyone from the gang quite understands anything you serve them… Trust me, I know well…"

Cocking an eye brow at her last statement, Vegeta just shrugged it off, making his way out for some fresh air. He needed to think things over… He needed to know what the woman meant with "liking him for whom she saw in him"… He needed to know why it actually touched him that much every time he thought of it again… He needed to figure out why he felt so at ease whenever around her… He needed to beat it out of himself again. He grimaced. He hated to battle with his mind. It always got him headaches and he would never be able to understand the woman… She was such a complicated creature for him to truly understand… Yes, she was easy to read… But that had nothing to do with the matter now!

Growling, he tried to shake himself off of those stupid thoughts. He hated Bulma for the affect she had on him. She so much reminded him of Hailie that it was nearly painful…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

**Next Week…**

It has been a week since Juuhachi had her little conversation with Vegeta. And he still hadn't done what she had advised him to. And it didn't look like he was going to… Bulma's hopes had completely dropped and she was back to her sarcastic gloomy-looking self. The others had no clue what was going on when Marron continuously tried to massage Vegeta, but he just refused her to get any closer to his body. Then, the next moment, he was completely at the mercy of Hailie, who knew exactly where and how to touch to make his stiff muscles loosen… Well, that is, until he would notice it was her.

Marron had tried to make him some lunch herself and to bring it to school, but since she had no idea how to cook, her rice had been rock-hard and impossible to chew, and her soup was quite made of tar… Or so it tasted, if anything.

All in all, both Hailie and Marron have been offering themselves on a silver platter for him just to take. Instead of shaking them off or taking one of them, Vegeta just enjoyed toying with their feelings, along with Bulma's in the process, using them to do his job. Bulma was quite getting tired of waiting for him to pay any attention to her… She wasn't some cheap girl that would just let herself be there for him whenever _he_ liked her to be around. He guessed quite wrong if that was what he wanted of her…

Yet she was not about to voice her thoughts. She'd just pull away and let him have his fun, if you could call making idiotic creatures do as you wish "fun".

Little could Bulma know what debates have been led in the teen's mind. He wanted to go to her and ask her out, but… He just didn't feel ready to go out with her… He didn't want to be with her, yet wanted it at the same time. He was confusing even himself with such thoughts. He either wanted one or the other! He had to choose… So, he decided to stay at a safe distance from her powers that made him turn weak and vulnerable again… He hated feeling weak. That woman was no good and his pride knew so too… But why wouldn't his heart let him at peace?

Even though the teen could not find inner peace, everything had been fine up to the point when Yamcha returned in the picture…

At lunch, on Monday, the damn funk had pulled her away from the table a few sets of tables behind, so they could "speak in private". Vegeta's eyes narrowed at them as he watched intensely the interaction. He didn't like the fact Yamcha was around _her_ right now. Slapping himself mentally, the boy tore his gaze away from the pair, assuring himself he didn't care. When he took a sneak peak over his shoulder and finding the scum bag hugging her closely, he felt his blood boil again and he had to clench his fists to refrain from hitting something… or some_one_…

"You should just go and talk to her." Hailie's voice rang in his ears as the girl sat herself next to him, gaining the attention of the table to herself again. "Don't look at me like that. I'm here just to talk to him, not _you_." She snapped at them, missing ChiChi's incoherent curses and Juu's mumbling under her breath.

"Don't try to tell me what to do…" He hissed beneath his breath.

"I'm just guiding you towards your happiness, darling." He laughed at that, making her face falter. "Don't behave like that… Just because I blew it doesn't mean I don't _know_ what will make you happy now."

"What's that? Hailie backing down a challenge?" The dark haired boy mocked, looking at her in the eyes. Her heart stopped when for the first time in such a long gap he had finally looked at her without the boiling hate in his beautiful onyx eyes… How she wanted that desperate look in his eyes to be directed towards her, not the new girl. She was far more than just competition… But that was a different topic. Right now, at hand was her man's sanity.

"I'm not backing down _anything_." She hissed dangerously. "Just listen to me this once! I know what the blonde told you too! And I saw you making out with her…" The last sentence she whispered so only he would hear. "Just go and talk to her."

"I don't plan on doing that."

"You can't forever dwell on my past mistakes, Vegeta…" She leant in and tried to capture his lips in a quick lip lock, but he dodged her masterly, giving her the best scowl he could muster. He was quite good at it too. Smiling slightly, the girl pecked his cheek quickly instead and stood on her legs, making her way away from the table full of people that loathed her for her simple existence. "She's not me, Vege-chan…" She muttered, before she disappeared into the crowd.

Vegeta watched after her, thinking. She was right… No one else would ever be like her, ever again…

And if he didn't act upon it, he would repulse the only creature that had ever even tried to care for him after Her… He was supposed to be more mature now… He certainly didn't act like it!

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

**Meanwhile…**

Bulma glared at Yamcha. He certainly didn't think she had forgiven him did he? Her glare didn't have the same effect on him now, though. He seemed more certain of himself, not cowering back for a second. Did it happen so he had grown a spine?

"Bulma… I wanted to talk to you since forever now, but you seemed so close to the bastard that I really couldn't catch you alone, and—"

"You needn't explain yourself, Yamcha." Bulma shook her lavender haired head at him. "I don't really want your excuses, because I don't really care anymore…"

"Bulma…" He began again, looking away from her. "I know I have never been what you truly wanted… With your short temper, and I mean no offence by that," he defended when he noticed her sour glare in his direction; "and your feisty nature, you need more of a counterpart than someone you can easily order around… I will lie if I say I never truly loved you, as I am sure you have too, but it's just that… You weren't for me and I wasn't for you… Never truly been…" He smiled apologetically.

By the time, Bulma's glare had softened.

"And you decided to show me that you didn't want to be my boyfriend any longer by cheating on me? You're quite original, have I ever told you that before?"

"You're more sarcastic than usual…" He chuckled and so did she. "No, Bulma, it is just that… Well, I was just scared… I didn't know what to do, how I was going to continue seeing you, but not really feeling the way towards you that I should… We just never had the spark, you know…" He said uneasily, the tension in him rising with each and every second. Bulma laughed full-heartily and hugged him closely.

"It's alright, Yamcha. You're forgiven." She told him. "You've been long since forgiven."

"Because my freeing you let you see different horizons?" He asked as he let go of her and his luminous smile made her cheeks blush a bit and her eyes subconsciously dwelled on a certain skater on her table, who was currently engaged in a conversation with her now 'mortal enemy', or so her friends had labeled Hailie. The girl watched a while longer with clenched fists how the insolent creature had leant in for a kiss but Vegeta had been fast to pull away. Her blood boiled when she watched in horror how the idiotic girl kissed his cheek and pulled away, rendering him into a stiff position, staring after her.

Yamcha's eyes followed her line of vision and he smiled sadly.

"Yes, that's exactly what I meant." His voice startled Bulma out of her train of thought, which consisted in painful way to put an end to Hailie's miserable existence. She huffed and gathered herself together.

"All of you seem so sure that we are meant to be. But so far he has shown nothing that should confirm such a statement. Besides, what makes you so sure that we can even fit?"

"Of course you fit, Bulma." He told her light-heartedly. "Both of you are aloof, self-centered and short-tempered." Bulma's furious expression snapped towards him in an angry manner. How dare he say such a thing to her? The nerve! Her glare softened when she saw he was just kidding and she smiled too.

"Well, yeah! We're practically made for each other by your reasoning." Both of them laughed as they approached the table. The rest of the time at school, Vegeta glared their way, trying to burn a hole in Yamcha's skull just by looking at him. His tries were futile and completely ignored, to the teen's utter irritation…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

**That night…**

Bulma stood on the railing to her balcony, looking down to the dark lawn beneath. The sun had long since set, and she still couldn't find herself at peace and go to sleep. It was a cold late autumn night and she was clad in a nightie made by some very thin fabric that did next to nothing to help her cold skin covered with goosebumps. But she didn't plan on going back inside now. She wasn't in the mood of sulking, and the heat inside was suffocating her right now.

She wanted to scream. Badly. She wanted to yell at the ignorant idiot until he got deaf. He had continued avoiding her the past day as well… Yesterday he had been in an extra sour mood and had yelled at her for no particular reason, making her blow up as well… It was a stupid fight really, but it wasn't really that what bothered her… it was the fact that everything that held meaning for her he always seemed to oversee… That was just… cruel. And he didn't even do as if he knew what she was talking about! He continued behaving like a victim, even around her, and it was pissing her off, since he was far more than just strong enough to defend himself and his interests! Yet he was not a man enough to face his problems or her, and face the fact that they were just _supposed_ to be together by now. She didn't need to doubt this – he felt the same jolt run though him too every time they shared a kiss, every time they were at a close proximity… He couldn't lie to her about it, she could see it in his eyes… She could feel it in his caress…

She looked at the sheet of paper in her hand and unfolded it. It was the sheet with the results from his fortune telling game. She looked at the red. She knew that he _knew_ **_she_** was going to read it… She had told him not to hold back and if he wanted her not to announce it over the table, she wouldn't. She knew how nosy her friends could get, and how superstitious they could get with those games. Did she believe them? She flicked the little piece of paper between her fingers. '_Red: You_' she re-read it for the hundredth time. Was it really so? Could it possibly be?

Her ears perked up when she heard her sound system turn on and a dark melody echoed throughout the empty compound. Her parents have gone off to a meeting tonight. She was all alone in the huge house… She couldn't help but feel scared by who was there with her. Then she listened carefully and recognized the song… It was one that had haunted her dreams ever since her trip back home from Eastern City, so that meant…

"Without you… I am mute… Without you, raped and nude_…_" A husky voice that she recognized all too well whispered in her ear and a strong male figure hugged her from behind, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Now she recognized the song. She had heard it probably when she had been asleep on Vegeta's shoulder on their way home. She blushed at the thought but shook herself off of it and wringed herself around to glare at him in his grasp, glaring up at him. He was smirking down at her. "A friend of mine liked to say that anyone who enjoys such a dark melody is twisted…" He smirked strangely at her and she pulled away from him, startling the teen. "What?" He asked.

"Why are you here? How did you get inside anyway? I closed and locked all doors before I went to sleep! Get out!" She yelled at him and tried to push him out, yet any physical attack towards him was more than useless – he was a few dozen times stronger than her. Scowling down at her hostile behaviour, Vegeta grabbed her by her waist and held onto her, finally throwing her down when he reached her queen sized bed. "What are you doing?" She yelled as if there was no tomorrow.

"You should learn how to relax, woman." He chuckled at her, climbing on the bed after her. By the time he managed to, she had pulled herself against the bed post with her bent knees tightly against her chest.

"Look who's talking…" She muttered. "Leave me alone! I'm not one of those wenches that will throw themselves at your feet and do whatever you want just to please you!"

"I know." He smirked. "That's why I'm here."

"Excuse me?" She was taken aback by his answer. She had a whole tirade ready. She had replayed it over and over in her mind so many times that she was ready to give him an earful at any time that he actually decided he was ready to get it. And now he had so rudely interrupted her and she forgot all thought. Damn him for his evil powers over her… He didn't play fair! "What is that's playing on my stereo? Care to elaborate?"

"That's one of my favourite songs, woman," he smiled in his own twisted way at her. She gulped at the look in his eyes. She wouldn't be able to resist much longer if he kept looking at her that way… So sure, so secure, so… at ease.

"All those things that you have played while I was there are—"

"Are really holding some sense, as you have probably noticed." He leant down to kiss her neck. She pushed him away after a lot of hesitating. She did all in her might not to stare lustfully at him, trying to veil the need for him that hid in her eyes, seeded deeply in her core.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'd advice you to leave now…" She said and pulled back.

"All your friends have been attacking me verbally, trying to tell me how I am actually supposed to ask you out already, how perfect we are together and such shit…" He muttered, seating himself next to her in a similar stance. "I _hate_ having people telling me what to do."

"Then why are you here?"

"For the nineteen years of my life, I have never before been put into a situation such as this one when being stubborn about something others say I should do would lead me to insanity…" He smirked distantly at his legs. "Without you I am mute… Without you, raped and nude… Without you, no, while you are the one can hurt me like you do…" He sang softly to her following the rhythm impeccably, obviously after hours of keeping it on 'repeat'. How is it that she had just noticed how beautifully his voice sounded when he tried to have it out gently, slowly… She smiled.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He stood still, looking at her for a while. He couldn't just blurt it out! And he couldn't say it properly either. Coming here had been a mistake…

"I told you to be sincere…"

"What?" He quirked an eye brow. She gave him the paper note crumpled in her balled fist. He unfolded it and looked at it. "What about it? I _was_ sincere. I never say things I don't mean, woman; remember that."

"How am I to understand you, Vegeta, when even your actions are polysemantic? How am I supposed to know what you mean when in one minute you do something and in the next – its complete opposite! You kiss me, you listen to me bearing my soul for you, and then you just flirt with the first tramp that comes into your line of vision. I have no idea what to think anymore, Vegeta! Do you like me or not? I'll put it simply as that. Why are you here in the first place! Get out of my head, get off of my bed!" She screeched at him.

"I need you." He said lowly. She blinked a few times, looking weirdly at him. What was that? She must be hearing things… As if reading her mind, Vegeta repeated himself, "I need you." She blinked stupidly some more. "Liking is not something that I care about. I liked Juuhachigou; I liked Launch; I liked Jessica… I liked many girls, I have been physically attracted by many and many were attracted to me. But you said it yourself – they all liked who they saw – the well-known skater, the friendship or any kind of relation to whom would bring them fame that they would otherwise never obtain. But you're different… Different than the different Hailie had once been… I was scared at first; I would be hurt again, my instincts shouted at me. But…" His expression cleared completely, turning unreadable to Bulma. He pulled back and looked at her in the eyes. "I do believe that if you never give it a try you'll never know. Maybe we could be soul mates? Maybe not, or maybe so? Who knows? I'm not the coward type anyway." He chuckled.

"You're saying what I think you are, aren't you?" She muttered at him. She was well aware what he had just said was the most equivalent thing to a love confession she would get out of him today, or any other day. It was really touching, really touching truly…

He sighed in irritation. She was being slow tonight, he scowled lightly. With a sigh, he decided that tonight he was in the mood of putting up with her whims… Just this once…

"Will you be my girlfriend—" He hesitated for a moment. She would at least scold him if he called her 'woman' _now_… Besides, he had to admit to himself that was not quite… err, proper for the occasion… "—Bulma?"

The girl smiled widely, showing her lined up white teeth, latching herself onto his neck, seizing his lips into a passionate kiss.

"Does that mean 'yes'?" He joked, lying beneath her.

"Of course it means yes, silly!" She scolded him, but couldn't hold her serious expression for too long. She had waited for him the whole week to ask her out! They were truly made for each other, in her opinion. The more she dwelled on it, the more she was sure it was true… Her friends have always been right about their little 'accusations', why would they be wrong now? Then, for a part of the second, she remembered what he had said just a few seconds ago. "Did you say 'nineteen'?" Vegeta's ears perked up.

'Dang! She noticed… And here I thought I'd slip…'

"When was your birthday?" She asked him interested. "You're a Scorpio too?" She inquired interestedly and straddled his hips. "Come on, you can tell me! My birthday is soon too!"

"So I noticed. It doesn't matter…"

"It matters to me! Come on, tell me when your birthday is, V-chan!" She tried to tickle him, but it was useless. He wasn't ticklish. And he was far stronger than her. He flipped her over and before she could realize it, he was the one on top. She giggled.

"I'm not ticklish, woman… And I hate my birthday. It is no celebration date for me…" He said darkly, grief swimming among his onyx orbs. Bulma regretted asking. But still had something in mind… "So, are you pleased now?"

"Nope." She answered blatantly with a smile on her face, radiating joy. "But I will be if you stay with me tonight… I was getting really lonely around here. And when's our first date going to be?" She asked excitedly. He smirked at her.

"How does Friday after school sound? We could ditch a class or two if you like…" He smirked evilly. That would surely get him some more detention. Not that he was going to attend it anyway… His girlfriend giggled again. It wasn't as annoying as he thought it would be. He had always hated it when girls made that sound… But with her… Things were always different when she was around…

"It sounds wonderful…" She leant over him and went to fetch some covers for them while Vegeta stripped out of his t-shirt and baggy jeans, left only in his navy boxers. Bulma soon climbed in the bed and rested her head against her man's chest. It had been so long since she first wanted to be in that position… And for once in a week or so, she slept at peace…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Her current boyfriend had no such luck. He woke up in the middle of the night, his whole face covered in cold moisture. His breathing was labored and his eyes were wide with shock. He couldn't shake off the dreaded feeling… His past was haunting him again… He couldn't breathe from the pressure of his dream and the impact it still had on him. He never really dreamt… He was only reliving memories… And it would forever be that way, he knew now…

Noticing that the calm creature beside him hadn't stirred as he had thrown her off himself, the boy began rubbing his face with his hands furiously. Had he cried?

'…'

The thought repulsed him, disgusted him with himself, his weakness that had caught up with him in his most vulnerable state – sleep. How would he continue to live with those dreams? Would they haunt him forever? How was he supposed to be a sufficient person if he could not control himself? How would the woman trust him if he didn't trust himself? Did he even want her to trust him? Was he trust worthy? Did he deserve her to care so much for him?

'…'

He couldn't help wondering what it was that she was expecting of him now… Would she want him to be the one to freely show affection like her other boyfriend before him had done? Did she expect to change him? Did she want to change him before even knowing him? Would he let her know him?

So man questions swam through his mind in such a short period of time… He needed to calm himself down, but he couldn't… He couldn't stop himself from trembling… He was weakening… It was truly disgusting… He was weak… What woman would want a weak boyfriend? He wasn't weak-willed! He would show all of them that he was capable of existing in this world, even if it wasn't meant for him. Out of stubbornness, he would live on…

But how much time would he be able to hold everything inside before he went literally insane? He knew that his thoughts and complexes would only bring madness at the end… He hadn't really told anyone anything about his problems since… Since two years ago, almost three now. He wanted to find his inner peace again… He wanted to rest and to feel relieved when he woke, and not to have his sleep interrupted by nightmares, ghosts chasing him through time…

He curled near the end of the bed and tried to call for more sleep. He had to try his best… The woman needed him now… She was weaker than him… Or so he liked himself to think… But for now, it was a calming thought… Someone needed him… A slight smile graced his lips for a second before it perished into nothingness. Someone needed him…

His eyes closed, his consciousness surrendering to the darkness that consumed the room… Some time during the cold autumn night, Bulma's warm body had inched closer to the warmth he was emitting, embracing him from behind, and miraculously ceasing his constant shudders… If only he would've known who his guardian angel had been he would've never been so baffled by the affect the girl had on him…


	14. Ch14: Dates

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Fourteen: Dates and Developments_

The next day Bulma woke up to meet up with her boyfriend's back first thing in the morning. If her arms were not flung over his sleeping form and his, probably some time subconsciously during the night, over hers, she would've considered waking him with a rebuke. Though she immediately decided against it and smiled to herself. Finally, she had him, all to herself. After all that considerably happened between him and that Hailie girl she knew that she didn't have to be on guard whether or not he was faithful. She believed him. For some unfathomable reason, she did…

The lavender haired girl pulled herself up, resting her weight on her left hand as she looked at the sleeping creature beside her. He was so… helpless in this position… He appeared so fragile and breakable that it made her heart clench. Why was it that his usual scowl appeared so… hurt when he slept? No malice, not malign, just hurt? Why couldn't he be peaceful, even if only in his sleep? Didn't he deserve some rest?

Sighing, she reached out to his sweaty forehead and stroked his cheek lightly in a gentle caress, as if he would break if she did it any other way. But that was truly the end of her little peaceful moment in time, as his eyes snapped widely open the second he felt someone's touch. He jumped upright in bed, taking a firm grip on her wrist, cutting her blood supply.

She winced and shut her eyes at his action while his prodding onyx eyes studied their surrounding. Suddenly, his nightmare washed away from his consciousness, and the memories of the previous night came flooding back. He let Bulma's hand go and turned away, easing his breathing that she just noticed had been rasped. Once having her limb back, the girl looked at his profile. What was wrong with him? Why did he look like a trapped scared animal? She couldn't understand his feelings right now, nor would she figure the cause of them.

Muttering an incoherent half-hearted excuse, the boy went to throw on his clothes and descend down the stairs as the fresh smell of pancakes attacked his nostrils mercilessly. He always starved first thing in the morning.

Frowning after he left, Bulma lifted herself to her feet and went inside the bathroom for her morning routine. She'd confront him about it later.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

**At school…**

The trip to school had been an unusually quiet one. Vegeta was probably thinking over the fact that she had seen him so… well, vulnerable, while Bulma wondered what was so wrong with him and why he wouldn't tell her, but knew better than to prod in his business right now. If he wanted to tell her, he would. But if he took too much time, she would be forced to get it out of him herself!

"Hey, morning people!" Goku joked as his friends approached.

"Shut up, Kakarott, or I'll really have to show you how much of a morning person I really am." Vegeta hissed as he passed by the taller teen and went directly inside the school building. Bulma just kept on frowning after him. What was so wrong with him today? Wasn't it him who asked _her_ out just _yesterday_? Did something happen while she wasn't looking?

"What bit him today? He's grumpier than usual." ChiChi snorted at the arrogant teen. She never really got to even tolerating him. Bulma shrugged the dreaded feeling off and just smiled at her friends.

"You'll never guess what!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "I think we pretty much already have a winner!" She laughed evilly. As we have previously noted, it sounded so silly coming out of her mouth that it was purely hilarious and more than not threatening at all… Her friends sweat dropped at her. They signed her off as completely insane…

"You're right, we won't. Save us the torture and just say it." Juu butted in the conversation and Bulma just grinned widely at her.

"Vegeta and I are a couple now!" She exclaimed. ChiChi raised a delicate eye brow at that while Juu grinned as well. For once she had been listened to. Poor Juu. Little she knew about Vegeta and Hailie's little conversation. She had been too entangled in her own little world at that time…

"Is that a celebration occasion or one to mourn over?" ChiChi asked sarcastically, earning herself a playful hit on the shoulder. "What? You're doing so as if it ain't true!" She smirked, reminding Bulma of her newly found boyfriend. Her look quickly faltered as she ventured inside, trying to find him before class started.

"I'll be seeing you guys in periods or at lunch, ok? I have something to do before class!" She called after them and heard Juu saying after her,

"Well, yeah, that's what all girls with boyfriends say, B. Just don't get too caught up to be told to get a room." And they all laughed, making Bulma stick her tongue out at them playfully, dismissing all thoughts about them, and letting her train of thought drift off into an entirely different direction. What was going on with Vegeta? He acted so strange since yesterday… As if he didn't really want to be with her and had just done it to please her. Her eye brow furrowed. She hated being pitied, or having things that the other didn't want done for her just to be pleased, because it took all her pleasure away. She had a few things to tell the flame-haired guy.

Soon enough she found him staring at his opened locker. She approached him slowly from behind and looked inside. All she could see was that it was almost empty. She looked at the side of his profile. He seemed to be thinking hard.

What she didn't know was that he saw the same emptiness inside of it, but unlike her related it to the emptiness inside of him. He was so… hollow inside… Why did he ask her out? To let her see how useless he was? To see how materialistic he was now… How he worked so hard just to ensure himself that he was not as worthless and bad as he really was? To have her know how she should've stayed with her cheating boyfriend rather than someone like him? What could he offer her in the first place? He could no longer love anyone… He was incapable of that feeling; he denied its existence… How could he even enforce himself to even _begin_ to care for someone that he knew nothing about? Sure, she was famous, but that wasn't what he wanted to know… He could tell that her favourite colour was either blue or black; he could tell that she liked to quarrel, that she was a person of challenge just like him… But what about the other things? What did he know about her psyche? What did he know about her family, except for the fact that they were rich and famous, that they knew how to raise a well-mannered child even though they were rarely home?

What did he know about her past? Had she ever had any pets? What was her favourite animal? Why was it so? Why was her favourite colour the way it was? Why did she find herself caring for him at such an early stage in their relationship, when a month ago all they did was yell at each other, barely tolerating each other's presence near? Why did she make him drift off to such thoughts in the first place? It wasn't as if he hadn't dated with girls knowing even less about them, or caring none about what they were for that matter. He just said he didn't believe in devotion of any kind; what did it matter anyway then? He was contradicting on himself.

"Hey…" He heard her distant soft voice against his ear and felt her hot breath tickle his ear lobe. "Are you alright? You certainly didn't look alright to me this morning…"

Vegeta did his best to submerge the urge to just shove her off rudely and tell her off and quite succeeded at doing it, because he just stood in the hallway, staring unblinking at the locker. What was wrong with him, really? He had the best girlfriend he could ever wish for. She was beautiful, smart and caring. She would do anything for him, he knew now. And what did _he_ do about it? Drown in memories, making her worry about him. Well, about the latter he assured himself he could personally care less, but he knew the statement was as empty as his heart was. So, instead of sulking over the past, he had to gather himself up, to be the boy that she had been going after and to show some backbone.

Smirking he turned around in her grasp after shutting the door to his locker.

"I'm great. Just a little upset that you had that nightie of yours the whole night. Seriously, I already hate that garment." He whispered huskily in her ear and she slapped his chest playfully, smiling slightly. He had managed to shake off whatever had been worrying him. Well, if he did it, than so could she. Or at least she hoped so.

"Easy there, tiger. We just got together. You'll have to charm _me_ now to have you beneath my nightie you know." She giggled as he bent to kiss her neck and trailing small butterfly kisses up to her earlobe. Little she knew that he wasn't doing this just to give her pleasure, but also to remind himself how good he had, to remind himself what he was truly like. His pride had been wounded tonight… _again_… And he was getting quite sick of it.

Right after the thought crossed his mind, the bell rang, signaling the beginning of the torture for today. Smirking, he pulled away from her and captured her lips in a brief kiss that only served to leave Bulma craving for more of him.

"Go, woman, before you blame me for being late for class. We don't want anything to happen to miss goody-two-shoes' perfect school record, now do we?" She punched his arm, making him chuckle at her hostility. She lifted her nose up in the air haughtily, but before she went she kissed her index and middle finger and put them to his lips before running off to class. The teacher was really bitchy and she really didn't feel like being yelled at after such a nice night's sleep.

Vegeta just stared after her, smirking. Well, he certainly had a taste in women. And this certain girl would be the cherry on the top. The gem in his little 'collection'.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Time seemed to drag itself so slowly that Bulma could barely keep herself and her excitement at bay. She couldn't wait for her first date with Vegeta on Friday! Hours seemed like months and days like years as she could barely breathe without him around anymore. Of course, that was all due excitement before the date, she assured herself. She didn't want to become one of those girls that had a choking vice-like grip on their boyfriends. She had never been that type of a person and certainly didn't feel like becoming one. Maybe that was the reason Yamcha had cheated on her, she wondered… But, shrugging the topic off, she didn't really care about Yamcha and their relationship anymore. She was in a far better one.

Vegeta's words had struck a cord that night… He had let out the two words that she had wondered about ever since they got to talk to each other on that bus on their way home from Eastern City. Could it really be that the two were soul mates? Did she even believe in that? Did he? What was your soul mate supposed to be like? Your exact replica or your complete opposite? She guessed it was neither, as it was probably the one person that you made a complete whole together with. She didn't really know how to define it right now, as she wasn't even sure if she believed that stuff but it didn't really matter actually.

What mattered was that it was already Friday morning and she hadn't made it to sleep for too long and hadn't even needed the alarm to wake her, as she had gotten up more than half an hour before the usual time she woke up for school. She had taken a shower and brushed her lined up teeth, and had a hard time choosing exactly what to wear due to the fact she didn't know whether Vegeta would want to skip school some before they were done or they would have time to go to their houses before they went on their date. She had debated even whether to wake him up and ask him, but quickly shrugged the idea off, remembering what happened last time she woke him, even though now it was impossible to happen. Her nearly-invisible bruise on her wrist spoke for itself, naturally, reminding her to forget such silly ideas. Knowing Vegeta, he would probably yell at her for bothering him with such idiotic matters first thing in the morning.

So she just decided to throw on knee long jean skirt and a slightly tight black long-sleeved blouse that hugged her chest and upper body nicely, complementing her every curve, covering all the barely visible flaws that Bulma claimed she had, even though we can all be sure that if she asked Vegeta now he would just either laugh at her silliness or wrinkle his nose at her, wondering whether she was mad or just plain stupid for assuming such a thing for a girl that _he_, of all people, dated.

Giggling at the thoughts, Bulma made her way downstairs and made herself a light breakfast that consisted in lots of cereal and some milk that the things sucked inside almost completely. She liked to eat the cereal raw too, but used the milk only because her mother insisted that it was good for her. What did the old woman know anyway; Bulma snorted, but ate her cereal with milk anyway.

By the time she was finished, it was already time to go for Bulma, as she had spent some time looking out of the window, just phasing out. She had noticed how Vegeta had gone out on his balcony that was just in her line of view from her point in the kitchen, and smoked a cigarette, then another one with his morning mug of coffee before he went back inside to get himself dressed for the 'big day'. She doubted he thought of it as such, or that he was nervous anything like her for that matter. What she didn't know was that Vegeta had some dreadful thoughts on his mind right now and had a really bad feeling about the outcome of all this.

Of course, it wasn't her fault that he did… He never really could blame her for his nightmares, or for the fact that he could no longer trust anyone with his secrets. And he tried to convince himself that he had done that a million and one times before, why should it be any different now? Why would he want this date to be any different than all his other ones before? Deep down, he knew the answer to that; an answer that he dreaded more than falling asleep at night or dozing off during the day due to the lack of sleep the other night. He tried his best to push all thoughts away as he took his shirt on and took his skateboard on the way out, not really caring whether Goku was coming or not. He needed to visit his little hide out for a half an hour or so before he had to see the faces of those losers today, or the beaming expression of his current girlfriend.

It wasn't as if he didn't admire her facial features: her beautiful endless sapphire orbs, her plump lips that he had become addicted to having beneath his, her soft pale skin… It was just that she radiated such purity that… That he felt filthy whenever around her. It was not really a great feeling to have about your girlfriend, you see now… Hopefully he would manage to shake it off before their date today…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Today's the big day!" Bulma exclaimed after first period. She had seen Vegeta take off into an entirely different direction than the one towards school and had informed the others when they have all but him gathered in front of the school's entrance. She was a little down that he hadn't come to join them this particular day, but she signed it off as the one thing that would bring her most joy about his action – he wanted to spend his day with her and only her. She was sure that if she confronted him about it that was what he would say – pick the answer you'd like the most.

Yamcha laughed with her as he took his books from his desk.

"Hey, I'm getting jealous here!" He joked. "You were never this excited when we were together. It's not fair, you know." He pouted playfully, but Bulma knew that behind his joyous act he was, indeed, a little hurt. True, she had never been this excited during the time they have dated. But then again, Yamcha had never been so secretive. He had always spoken frankly with her, told her what he wanted, what he felt… She voiced her thoughts making him shake his head and rub her shoulder in a friendly manner. "Don't worry about me, B! I was just kidding! You know all I have ever wanted was for you to be happy! I just feel a little down it wasn't me who managed to give you that."

"How touching." A voice spat from beside them. Their heads snapped towards its source and both frowned at the person they found standing there, glaring back at them. "Really, don't you have what to do, Briefs? I haven't given Vegeta up to the likes of you to talk to that scum of an ex of yours, trying to get Vegeta jealous, or something as stupid as that, just to know he cares or whatever. Honestly, how low can you fall more, Briefs?"

"Excuse me?" Bulma choked on her words in bewilderment. "Given him up on me? You're a little late with the news receiving, darling. _He_ came on to _me_, not you. The idea of that little 'competition' was just an excuse for you trying to get back under his skin and try to have his way with him again. Sorry to cut your long story short so fast, _Mizuhara_, but you're a bit too late now. And I am by far not as stupid as you. The fact I have other friends besides him didn't seem to bother him yesterday, or the day before it or any other!" Bulma defended, making Yamcha smile at her determination. Hailie just narrowed her eyes dangerously at the other girl. But before another venomous threat could pass her mouth, Vegeta's flame-haired head poked inside the room.

"Woman, what the hell are you waiting for? Come on!"

During the few days before Friday after the Monday that they actually got together, Bulma and Vegeta had spent quite some time while walking back from school. They occasionally went to each other's houses, talking endlessly about their lives before they met each other, about their favourite things (like food, colours, et cetera; stuff that you just lose time talking about, usually; how strange that Vegeta's list of favourite food seemed to be endless), and Bulma talked about her life, occasionally. She thought that he was uninterested by her personal things, when, in fact, that had been what he had wanted her to do, yet just subtly, not alarming her about it. He didn't want her to think he cared more than he did…

Anyway, during this time, they have come to the agreement (or more like Bulma enforced the agreement on Vegeta, promising him that next time she would be the one compromising for him) that they would see each other before every period, for Bulma had told him she needed to see him, to remind him not to get into trouble (especially today) and yadda, yadda, yadda. Vegeta had rolled his eyes at that, but knew perfectly well the reason she wanted that. And he had voiced it too. She just couldn't get enough of him. She had smacked his arm at that (she was quite aggressive nowadays, Vegeta had noted with a smirk) and refused, but both of them knew it was quite a mutual feeling…

"Well?" Vegeta continued impatiently, tapping his foot on the ground as his girlfriend had not stopped glaring at his ex one. "I'm growing old here."

"I'm not going before that bitch excuses to me!" Bulma hollered at him and glared at the other female across her. "What she said was totally not true and I hate to be accused of stupid things that I am not even doing!" The temperamental girl insist, stomping her foot on the ground. Rolling his eyes, Vegeta made his way over to the scene, while by the time half of the class was looking weirdly at them.

Truth to be told, he had been standing there long enough to see what Hailie had accused Bulma of and to hear her reply. He couldn't say he wasn't proud with her, but he had been angry at Hailie's outburst. He knew perfectly well what the emerald eyed girl's problem was, and he didn't need her solving his problems… He growled at her and pulled her away from his 'friends' and spoke lowly so that only she could hear. While he talked, she continued to glare at Bulma over his shoulder, but when he shook her demandingly, she just nodded, the look in her eyes softening, turning into a hurting one. He pushed her off slightly, rudely, and went back to Bulma to snatch her wrist gently and pull her out of the class room before anyone could say a thing.

"Why did you storm off like that? She was just about to say how sorry she was!" Bulma rioted against his pulling on her arm, but he didn't let go of her.

"You know perfectly well that isn't true. Don't pay any heed to what Hailie says, she's just nuts." He chuckled and kissed her briefly, only to have her hands around his neck in matter of seconds, being pulled into an enticing kiss that made all of his bad thoughts wash away from his head in an instant. One of the things that drove him nearer the edge and one of those that made him feel slightly uneasy at the same time. He still didn't want to give in to caring about her the way he did for his last real girlfriend…

"I missed you! Where were you? I got so sick of worry about you!" She frowned as they pulled away. He frowned as well. He hated it when she did that. She talked way too much. And in the worst possible moments none the less!

"How can you possibly miss me when I was at your house until one in the morning?" He snapped, not really caring how rude it sounded.

"Well, I _did_ miss you…" Bulma said with a small pout, giving him the best puppy dog eyes she could muster. She was good at this, making him feel sorry for snapping at her. Damn her, he screamed in his head. She had way too much power to make him comply with anything. And they weren't even out on a proper date yet! Just imagine how much of a toy in her hands he would be after it…

"Whatever." He shrugged her off, only to have her grasp his hand in turn this time.

"You're really off nowadays, Vegeta. Are you sure nothing's wrong?" She continued asking him the same question over and over again. It was beginning to really irritate him. He pushed her off violently, glaring back at her over his shoulder.

"Leave me be, woman. I told you a million times. My business is my business. I don't need help in solving any of my problems from anyone. Just drop it! I'm fine and I'll continue being fine no matter how many times you actually ask me, alright!" He snapped angrily at her, whipping his head back forward, shoving his hands in the pockets of his baggy jeans. Bulma blinked a few times, trying to clear her anger away. How could he talk to her that way? How dare he! But then again, she knew how touchy he got when it came to his affairs, and it was wisest just to keep away from all of 'his business' and just shrug the topic off, like he had obvious success in doing. A second later she just smiled a beaming smile towards him and latched herself on his arm, bringing it far too close to her chest for his liking. She might be very annoying at times, but that didn't mean she was still incredibly attractive.

"Alright, Vegeta; I'll leave you be. But remember you owe me!" She joked and pulled him towards an unknown destination.

"Where are you taking me?" He asked warily, a suspicious look crossing his features instantly. Bulma giggled at his demeanor.

"Towards class, silly. We have this one together."

"We do?" He asked suspiciously, still not really sure whether she was saying the truth or not. He was really, really out of it today. She giggled again. Maybe she had been wrong. Maybe he was just as nervous as she was, but was doing a far better job at hiding it. He slapped himself for this mentally, as it had sounded so stupid out of his mouth that it was almost degrading.

And so they took off down the corridor, Bulma's hands intertwined with his, towards their next class, absolutely unaware of the person behind the corner, looking warily at the couple.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Bulma's question had been answered quite practically. After school, Vegeta had told her to dress into something fit for going out, but not too flashy, so she could be comfortable. She had no idea what he meant, but went in her closet to pick something proper to wear anyway.

She stopped her attention to the tight black dress, which reached down a little further than the middle of her hip. It complemented her every curve nicely as it clung to her skin a little looser than a second skin. It didn't show any back, nor cleavage, but Bulma assured herself that was okay since he had seen her in her nightie for five nights now, hey! Besides, she had heard the weather report – it was going to be a chilly night. She was sure he wouldn't want her to get sick because of one date. They'd have many more as it was what was the point? The dress went up to her throat and had a small collar, that kept her neck warm and it had very small sleeves. She found some matching shoes and was on her way out when her doorbell rang. She grabbed a purse, waving at her mother, telling her she would get it before she stepped out of the Capsule Corporation household.

She came face-to-face with her prince. It was the first time that she had seen him so official and she already knew she liked it.

He was clad in some black dress pants and had a semi-tight navy shirt on that made him look like a business man. Bulma giggled at that and he snapped his attention to her. He had been leaning on the nearest wall while waiting for her to answer the door. He lifted an eye brow at her outfit but still smirked at her as they made their way over to his Lamborghini.

"Where are we going?" Bulma couldn't help asking as she sat herself in Vegeta's comfy car. The seat almost devoured her yet again. It was such a wonderful feeling… Just being here with him was such a wonderful feeling. He chuckled but did not look at her.

"To a Japanese restaurant." Bulma squealed at that.

"Oh, you're just reading my mind. It has been so long since I last ate Japanese. I'm dying for some rice balls here." She watched out of her window as she spoke, a big smile gracing her lips.

The rest of the trip was… well, half quiet. Vegeta claimed it was because he was starving and she wouldn't want him to yell at her for no fathomable reason (that's when she started to see through the lie – he usually yelled at her for less and just to make her yell back; that was no coherent reply of his, but she let it slip, just this once). When they arrived, they were seated on a balcony table, which had a direct view towards the stars. Bellow were some water cascades that Bulma could almost bet her head he had talked the staff into getting back in action, as it looked quite old and unused now.

But all in all, it was a nice experience. They had their food served almost immediately, steaming as it had been just out of the oven. By the end of their meals, Bulma was stuffed and quite content with the evening's events, even though she had done most of the talking that night, as usual. Vegeta had claimed he wasn't much of a talker (which Bulma had noticed countless times before), but she knew there was something more. It hurt her he wouldn't even trust her to share the nightmares that have been bugging him lately, clearly the cause of the shades under his eyes, but she kept telling herself that with time, he would learn he can trust her. After all that they'd been through together until now, she knew he _at least_ believed her.

"It was so wonderful here, Vegeta! And a wonderful night…" Her smile warmed his heart a little before he looked down to cup his hands around the cigarette he was lighting.

"We're just warming up here, woman. I was hungry. After you're finished we take off again to the 'surprise' place." He chuckled and exhaled the toxic smoke. Bulma narrowed her eyes as she watched him move with the 'weapon of destruction' as she liked to call the cigarettes, but didn't object at all. After all, he seemed stressed a bit. One smoke wouldn't do any wrong, would it?

As they paid up and left for an unbeknownst direction to Bulma, she registered the thought that he might be struggling with something. Her eyes saddened. And he wouldn't tell her what it was? He didn't want her help? She had no idea where they stood now, even though they were together now, and on their first date. Why did it have to be so complicated? But then again, were they rushing things? Bulma couldn't help but think of the famous play 'Romeo and Juliet', an emblem of passionate teenage love. But then again, even if things between her and Vegeta were developing too fast, she had more than enough brains in her head never even to seriously consider the idea of suicide, or leading Vegeta to such for that matter. But then again, he would never suicide just because she's gone… would he? At this point? At all?

They stopped and parked the car at the foot of a hill. Bulma sent him a strange look, but didn't question him as he locked his car and they began climbing up. They did it in absolute quietness. It was making Bulma nauseous already, but she decided not to push it. In her view came a huge tree, probably centuries old, the branches of which were looking directly over the night city. She smiled, deciding this is their destination, only to have him ask her just a second after,

"Where are you going?" She looked back weirdly at him.

"Isn't this where we were going?" She could recall hearing Goku talk about this tree, but she had had no idea where its whereabouts were before Vegeta had brought her here himself. He chuckled.

"Don't hurry so much, woman. Come on, there's a little bit more." With a frown, she did follow him down the rocky path that had been formed probably because of the grass being stepped on so frequently that it didn't have a chance to grow at some extent.

As they got deeper into the night and what she could successfully call a forest, she began to hear a deafening noise. As if masses of something were falling from a great height. Masses of… water? Her eyes widened when Vegeta brought her in the middle of a beautiful picture. She thought of it to be a mere walk in the wild where she didn't have to worry about burglars and rapists after her since she had her strong boyfriend with her, but obviously she had been wrong. It was beautiful scenery. A majestic one that she would remember until the end of her days…

Vegeta pulled her wrist with him so they would come closer to the water.

"Is this where you wanted to bring me all along?" She bellowed over the thundering sound of the colliding water with the small lake that had formed around. He nodded at her, not really seeming like paying much attention. "It's beautiful…" She mouthed and smiled. He attempted to do the same, but ended it with just trying when he pulled her at a safe distance from the waterfall where he could speak properly with her.

They sat on the grass, backs against it, facing the midnight sky, staring as the stars up twinkled with their enticing glimmer. Bulma could stare with hours at the stars and never grow tired of it… After all, as she had previously mentioned to us in her thoughts, she had grown up looking at the midnight sky during the long sleepless nights. Something told her Vegeta had done quite the same, but was now struggling with something that he indeed wanted to tell her, but had no idea how to form the words. She wouldn't urge him; she wouldn't tell him to take his time. He was already doing it; what was the use of pushing him? If he wanted to, he would. If he didn't want to share any of his problems with her at all, then it was his wish and his choice, not hers.

She tried to assure herself that she wasn't really concerned what was bugging him since he was grown up enough to fix his own problems…

"I have been coming here since forever…" He finally began. Bulma looked at him, examining his expression. There was something hurt behind it. She smiled at him, making his heart crack. She was so cheerful and pure… And innocent… What had he done to deserve such a loving girlfriend? When she saw he wasn't going to continue soon, she said,

"It seems only you know about this place?"

"Not really, but once I made it clear to them that it is _my_ place, they stopped coming." He flashed a wide sinister smirk and she laughed at his expression and words, just imagining how scared the poor creatures that had crossed his path have looked like when he had threatened them. Seriously, he had to learn some diplomacy…

Once their laughter ceased (well, Vegeta didn't really _laugh_… He chuckled), the atmosphere became tense with stillness again.

"I needed a refuge from the pain…" Vegeta's words flowed from his lips bitterly, like poison. "I needed to forget all the problems that went with my refusal to go to an orphanage…" Bulma head whipped in his direction, a shocked expression gracing her beautiful face. Vegeta chuckled bitterly at that too. "What? Weren't you supposed to be the smartest girl that ever lived? Have you never wondered why my parents don't live with me? It's not because I am defiant, woman; that much you _should_ have figured." Well, in a way, she guessed she did. But none of her thoughts would prove true if he didn't open up on her, like he was doing right now.

But she wasn't about to tell him that – she wasn't stupid. Let him tell all that he wanted her to know and then they would talk.

"My parents have been dead since I turned ten." Bulma's head snapped in his direction as well. Ten? Refusal to enter orphanage? He was pulling her leg, right? There was no possible way that he would've survived at such a young age without financial support… And no parents. "I have been taking care of myself ever since… It had been hard to trust anyone, and I'm not really sure if I can trust anyone again…" She nodded at that. She understood fully well. "One more thing you should know before we continue this farce of a relationship."

Her head turned back to him, her eyes blazing furiously. How could he call it that? Didn't she mean anything to him at all? Well, if she only let herself not be taken in by the anger, she would figure that if he didn't care about her he would've left her be and never do so much as glance at her way again. But she didn't really know that…

"I have always been taught that love is a weakness, something that only gets in your way and your better judgement. My experience has only done to further ensure those words…" He looked up to meet her eyes. "You have told me that you like me for who I am… And you don't really know me yet… But if you plan on whining that I will not return your feelings, _ever_, we better drop this right now."

And then there was silence.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

What could Bulma have said to that? Her mind had gone blank. She was aware there was something emotionless about her man, but this? He had just told her he wouldn't love her, wouldn't _let himself_ love her, _ever_… What kind of a confession is that? Why was he asking her that? To make her feel worthless and used? Was he asking just to stab her fluttering heart? Was that it? Did he enjoy others suffer while he himself was pulling though some amount of turmoil as well?

She slapped herself mentally. What was she thinking! Vegeta was rude, aloof, self-conscious, but he wasn't heartless. The bare fact that his heart seemed to be throbbing with pain the same morning they first woke up in the same bed. He didn't want to kill her emotion either. He just wanted to save her the pain that would surely follow later if she found it out on her own. He might be sadistic, but he had proved her that he cared about what she felt… He would never enjoy seeing a person he cares about suffer pain that was actually inflicted by him.

So she smiled back and shook her head. It stung, still, but it was okay… She would be okay… He would be okay… Everything would be fine… Even if she fell for him… No, even after she was already falling. He had been such a wonderful gentleman with her this night… She had seen a side of him that was even more enticing than the one he showed everyone. He had manners, a class when he wanted to. Even in such a plain suit, he looked like a prince in her eyes.

"That's alright, Vegeta. I can strive with that fact." He looked baffled at her. He was hearing things. His eyes followed her actions as she stood on her legs. "Well, you haven't brought me here just to look at the beautiful cascade, did you? I could've done that back at the restaurant!" She snapped playfully and went over to the water, looking at the lake from the edge she was standing on.

Vegeta frowned after her. It wasn't as if he expected her to really give up on him that fast. She was far too stubborn, much like him, to do that so fast. And he knew that very well, but he expected at least a little fight over that. He had even readied himself a small speech or whatever, to make her understand. But she always had to be the one to try to be as selfless as ever. It angered him beyond belief, for an unknown reason. He felt relieved that he had finally managed to share a bit of his past with her. But then again, he felt filthier than ever as she had, once again, proven to be the better of them… With her sacrifice of her feelings… He growled deep in his throat. He'd make her pay for that one.

He approached her, making her look at him and point at something in the lake, which she giggled at. She loved the water. She had loved swimming since she had been a little girl. She remembered those times at the pool… It had really been so incredibly fun… She had been with her parents back then, because they couldn't be completely sure how much they could trust their infant daughter with the house staff. Besides, it was an experience that she had to remember them by, not the nanny.

"What?" She asked when she felt his eyes continuously stab her back with their piercing onyx stare that quite matched the mid-dark night. A malicious smirk crossed his features, before she was rendered into losing her balance, her hands stretching out to grasp for something, but failed and a huge splash followed her failure. Vegeta's throaty laugh rang in her numb ears once her head floated back above the surface. The water was freezing cold, but at least it was crystal clean. Her azure eyes darted over to him, glaring daggers his way. "Bastard! That was a dirty trick and you know it! My hair's all wet! And it's huge! Do you have any idea how much time it will take me to dry it out?" She tried to splash some water his way, but he dodged it masterly, kneeling on the same edge she had been on seconds ago, with a smug expression on his features.

"It was about time you washed it too. You should try doing it more frequently. People say it's good to bathe." Bulma growled at that. Was he insulting her cleanliness? The nerve of that guy! He was pushing his luck, really. Her throaty growl made his chuckle. "You're spending far too much time around me, woman. Someone might say something." He chuckled some more. And to that she growled some more, before the same smirk and smug expression took place on her face.

"Oh, yeah?" She sounded as threatening as she could. "Sue me for plagiarism then." He raised a dark eye brow at that and before he could begin to comprehend what she had said, his wrist was grabbed by the girl beneath him and she had steadied her feet against the edge, pulling him full-force inside, leaving him no chance to fight for his balance. Second after another splash followed his failure and his head appeared another second after it. He looked extremely pissed off, very annoyed and very… wet.

Bulma hollered with laughter as she looked at his expression. It was a really strange mix, but with his hair that, if it could, would show just as a matching expression, she couldn't hold it in anymore. She was splashing some water with her fist as it collided with the surface out of laughing too hard. Vegeta growled at her and by the time that he could no longer tolerate her laughter his way, he splashed some water her way, making her choke on it, which made him the one to chuckle.

"Bastard!" She screamed again and sent a whole wave, by her standards, his way. He took a breath in, readying himself for the impact, but before he could understand what had happened, his head was pushed beneath the surface, and Bulma was leaning over him, keeping him down. Even under the surface he could hear her victorious 'evil' laughter. "That's right! That's what you deserve! And _stay there!_" She yelled down to his submerged head.

'She thinks she won!' Vegeta's thoughts raged, completely forgotten about his turmoil earlier. 'We'll see who laughs last!' And with that he pulled on her hips, pulling her beneath herself. She kicked and punched, but she wasn't really strong as it was and the water was slowing down her every move to the point it was more than useless. He tried to dive up to the surface, but she didn't let him, until both had to breathe urgently.

When they faced each other up, Vegeta smirked, splashing some water in her face. She screamed in rage. She thought he learnt his place, damn him! Before she could splash some back, he was already swimming away.

"Catch me if you can!" He bellowed in laughter behind himself. She growled, but swam after him. There was no way in hell she would let him win so easily.

And eventually, as strange as it was to both of them, she did catch up with him, grabbing onto his neck as they have become far too close to the waterfall. She had no idea how strong the pressure there was, and didn't plan on finding out. Vegeta chuckled at her obvious fear and pulled them both towards the shore.

Both their clothes were clinging to their bodies, outlining them nicely (especially Vegeta's ex-semi-tight shirt; now it made his beautifully sculpted chest and abs perfect for her to see through the thin fabric), as they collapsed in exhaustion on solid water. They had spent a considerable amount of time swimming and fooling around; it was just hilarious if they could only see themselves from the side.

"Vegeta?" Bulma hushed out, completely out of breath, trying to ease it.

"What?" He answered back in the same style. It hadn't been so easy to beat her ass as he had thought it would be. He smirked. The woman was really a nice match for him…

"This is the best date I ever had." She confessed. He looked at her warily. She was smiling at him, having a little hard time steadying herself on her hands, hoisting her body to be sitting upright.

His expression was indifferent. She stared at him for some time before looking up at the sky, her cheeks reddening a bit. He didn't pay any heed to that. He was deep in thought. He was devouring every piece of little detail about her right now. Her mid-sharp facial features, her chin, her elegantly pointy, but not too much for that matter, nose that made her look aristocratic as she was; her plump lips that were slightly blue from the cold water and her wet clothes that clung to her body as a goner would to a lifeline, the chilling air making her shiver every now and then. The star and moonlight grasped and caressed her beautiful curves, making her look almost angelic. He hated to sound this stupid, this mushy, but she was simply… flawless in this moment… Like those girls in the love stories… When one gazes at them in the midnight light…

She looked back to him, only to find him still staring. Her cheeks reddened again. What was with him? He hadn't done that before… It was, and felt, absolutely embarrassing. She felt as if he could see right in her soul, all her dear and embarrassing secrets… It made her feel, the least said, uncomfortable. She was about to question him, when his lips went atop hers, bringing them both into a kiss, which made a jolt immediately run though her whole body, warming her up.

The lust ran deeper than she imagined, making them both regain all their warmth that they had seemingly lost in the crystalline waters of the lake and the air filled with tension. Sexual tension… Bulma's cheeks flushed red as Vegeta came closer to her. She pulled him down with her, having him atop of her as their kiss didn't break for a moment.

A moan escaped her throat when his hand slid up the side of her hip, leaving her skin burning after his caress had left the place. His hand went up to the rim of her dress, pulling it higher, so he could set a leg between hers to steady himself. His other hand was at the side of her head, hoisting him not to fall on her.

Her fingers intertwined with his hair, fingers playing with it as his probing hand slid up to her chest, making her emit a moan when he lightly squeezed one of her breasts. The sounds that he was earning from her made his whole body throb with desire for her. She had always appeared attractive to him… Now he could easily have her. She wouldn't mind, she certainly didn't seem to mind _now_. And he wasn't really doing anything yet. She had no idea what magic he could work over her body… Well, at least at this point, she didn't. He smirked against her lips. He would _love_ to show her.

Bulma's whole form felt as if her senses were on fire. If before a single kiss could do miracles for her body to respond back to his caresses, this was a desire that she could never describe with words. Her mind was frantic. All she would decipher was that her senses were on fire, her whole body nearly trembling with the need for him. She needed him, now. She had to have him now that he had done this to her. He couldn't leave her craving and soaked, in more than one meaning. She could feel against her pelvis that he was just as desperate in this as she was…

Without wasting any more time, Vegeta slowly pulled her whole dress up and broke the kiss while he had to take it off her head. She helped him with it and then she reached for his shirt, unbuttoning the buttons. Thank God they didn't give much of a fight to her nearly shaking fingers.

With a quick kiss, his lips then assaulted her neck and burrowed at the crook of it. She moaned aloud, pulling his head closer to her, feeling his hot breath on her neck sending shivers down her spine. His lower body grinded against hers slightly, teasing her through the fabric of both their garments. She groaned at that. Why was he toying? She wanted him, now! And he wanted her too. Why play?

She turned them over, landing atop of him. She looked down, her cheeks red and flushed from the heat that she felt. It was nearly suffocating her already and he had the gall to go and just tease? The nerve!

He reached up for her bra, but didn't manage to unclasp it, so, capturing his lips in a brief kiss, Bulma unclasped it and threw it down where her dress and his shirt were lying, soaked onto the ground. She smirked against his lips, as she pushed her upper body against his, more than pleasured to hear the moan escape his lips this time. The sensation of both their skin touching made her burn even more, if it was possible.

Tonight was going to be a nice night…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

_A/N: No more for this chap. Nope; hope you hate me now, haha. No, really, it depends completely on you whether I won't tease further. All you need to do is review to have the next chapter up soon. Damn, I really hate cutting a scene so nastily, but that's quite a nice cliff-hanging moment to stop, eh?_

_So, what do you think? Will they do it? Sex on the first date? But then again they know each other for quite some time, sexual tension every time they meet, since, well, they're both quite attractive and they really have a thing for each other… Yeah, so, anyway… As I was saying, review to know what happens next. Lemon or no lemon? Dunno, dunno; review and we all find out –gives the best innocent look she can muster–_

_Sorry about not updating other stories. You know how it is… I should use inspiration while I can… I have work knocking on my door again. Grrr… Hate working… Anyway…_

_Yours sincerely, Dark Hope Assassin, always the nasty teaser._


	15. Ch15: Birthday Fever

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Fifteen: Birthday Fever_

The faint rays of the sun light penetrated through the thin curtains of the Capsule Corporation's heiress' room. The traveled slowly, as if summoned by her subtle body's chant, towards the slim curves covered clumsily by the cloud-coloured satin sheets of her huge bed. The sleeping damsel stirred lightly, turning to a side, her long lavender tresses tickling her face as they fell, as if scolding her for she had disturbed their peaceful slumber as well. She groaned slightly, her eye lashes fluttering lightly as the clearest cerulean orbs were revealed from behind the creamy eye lids. The piercing cobalt eyes tried to blink sleep away and gather the last events of the previous day.

With a light sigh, the girl whom those eyes belonged to, pulled her upright and looked around, completely uncaring and unconcerned by the fact that she was still completely naked. She was zooming over the room, looking for her prince to whom she had given herself last night, repeatedly. She kept looking with hope that he was still around, even though his place on the bed was cold. Her fine thin eye brows narrowed when she did not spot him anywhere around. He was quite gone, you could say…

With a huff, the girl pulled herself over the edge of the bed and she sat there mutely for some time, looking at an unparticular spot on the carpeted floor. Her bare feet were getting cold, but she wasn't paying attention to that. So, he didn't even stay at bed after their first night together? A strange smirk crossed her face for a bit before she stood up and gazed lazily towards the bathroom. She was definitely not a morning person…

But right now she didn't really feel like ruining what she had fought so hard to build… She had to give him enough time to entrust her with everything that was worrying him. In the meantime, she could really use a nice long shower in there…

Making her way inside, taking slow steps, she looked around. A bathroom like any other. But to her, this one was really special… Everything around there smelt of him. His bed that she had been previously laid in the past night reeked of him. Everywhere she turned, she met him, in one way or another. A smile graced her face. Now he was hers as much as she was his…

Her bare feet slapped lightly against the tiled floor of the bathroom as she approached the shower cabin and slid the door to it open, closing it behind her afterwards. She felt her freezing feet endure an even stronger degree of coldness as they touched the floor of the cabin. She suppressed a shiver and reached out of the faucets.

Sure, last night had been a killer. She had never had better than what he had offered her. The fact she loved him even now made it even more special. But…

Her face darkened as the water slid freely down her lavender head, leaving a moist trail down her long tresses, soaking them.

But she had felt it. Even though he was incomparable to any other, he was distracted. That same night, he hadn't felt entirely there. Sure, they had pleasured both their bodies' whims, but…

Her teeth clenched tightly in her mouth as the water ran down the line of her jaw and backbone.

But he was still agonizing. Their releases… They felt so martyrized… He seemed clumsy at first… And even when they had gone to his place, he wasn't doing any better… No, make no mistake! He was a thousand times better than what Yamcha would ever be… But…

She exhaled a long breath and looked upwards, letting the water splash against her face and wash away all her worries and troubles. It was a futile try, but she was bound to attempt it…

Somehow she knew that he could do better than that… She just couldn't figure out what was holding him back. And, by the way it all seemed, he wasn't planning on telling her any time soon…

Her frown deepened. She had to try to forget all of this… Or else she might get some strange ideas and jump down his throat demanding explanation. She knew that after what he said, about his parents, yesterday there was something behind him that he had yet to solve himself before he could talk to her about it.

Another deep hollow sigh escaped her. If it was time he needed, time it was she would give him.

At least for as long as she could enforce it on her short patience…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

After an hour, Bulma was down the stairs to a spacious kitchen, wearing a shirt that was probably twice her size in shoulders and looked like a dress concerning its length. She decided to borrow it, since her dress from yesterday was still dripping wet outside on his balcony (she put it there so it dried up).

"About time you woke up." A voice called to her; a voice that she knew all too well. She smiled back at Vegeta and took an apple from the bowl.

"I was tired." He chuckled at her statement. It was nice to know that he was the one that got her 'tired'. He said nothing more as he continued to dig into the chocolate cereal that he made for himself. His girlfriend passed by him and looked weirdly at the couple of other full dishes with the same contents all around the table. She lifted an eye brow at that. "Are we expecting someone?"

He looked up from his breakfast for a moment at her before he chuckled again.

"It would be nice if someone barged in right now and saw you in ­_this_." He referred to his shirt that she was wearing, making her face flush in anger. "But, no, _we_ aren't expecting anyone."

"Then why all the dishes?"

"Cereal is better when it absorbs the milk." He explained as-a-matter-of-factly, waving his spoon in the air at her. "Besides," he turned his attention back to the cereal, "it's Kakarott's turn to wash dishes." He snickered when he imagined seeing his friend's face at the huge pile of dishes in the sink. Bulma shook her head at him and sunk her teeth into her victim (apple), taking a rather unlady-like bite. Then it was that she noticed it. His bleeding bruised knuckles. Her brows narrowed over her eyes.

"'Been working out again?" She questioned while taking a seat across of him. His onyx orbs shifted up, his neck still in the same position over the dish. He looked so adorable when he didn't have his eye brows furrowed…

"Err… Yeah." He mumbled when he also noticed his hands. "Had to train…"

"Does training involve losing a limb?" She asked angrily.

"Not necessarily." He answered curtly. He was already halfway through the dishes…

"Do you really always _have_ to get all bloody when you train?" She said, her lips pursed. He didn't answer that. He continued eating. When he was done, she pulled him by his wrist (she was afraid that if she gripped at his hand he'd be in more pain) on the nearby couch.

"What the—Woman, I'm _fine_. It's just some minor scratches! I usually do more when I train, but I would wake you up—"

"Do I look like I'm buying that crap? Just sit still and let me attend this." She continued stubbornly. He wasn't going to give up that easy! This argument he would _surely_ win!

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"What's with the bandages?" Zarbon asked warily, eyeing Vegeta's neatly bandaged hands as they held his board while their leader arrived.

"Nothing…"

"Working out late again?" Another guy asked him.

"None of your friggin' concern!" He retorted defensively back.

"You're getting better at this. Attending your wounds, that is…" A third person snickered as he eyed Vegeta's lint closely.

"Get back to work, you imbeciles!" The dark teen finally burst out, making the lower-ranked skaters scramble and go back to training. He breathed in deeply, calming himself, his face returning to its original colour after his anger washed away. He couldn't believe she had forced him into this! Was he wearing off on her? He certainly hoped not!

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

It was already around noon, and Bulma had long since gone back to her house. Her earlier worries seemed to have washed away and now all she could think of was her Vegeta. Vegeta this, Vegeta that… Where was he right now? Was he thinking about her? What was he doing? Where was he going? Was he planning on surprising her by passing by for lunch? Did he like yesterday as much as she did? Was she good enough? Was she better than Hailie? He wouldn't break up with her any time soon, would he? She would cry her eyes out and deafen the whole world if he did! The nerve!

Finally, the girl caught a grip on herself and released a gleeful laugh when she noticed that she was being ecstatic and paranoid. Wherever he was, he was still her boyfriend. It had been just one official date and their first night together! He wasn't the type to break her heart so easily. She could care less about Hailie and how good _she_ had been.

Picking up her phone, the girl attempted to call ChiChi and go out with her to the mall, since she had to buy some new clothes for her birthday and stuff like that… Whatever it was, she just felt the need to seal her wonderful two days with a trip to the mall. After all, she got laid, she got a nice boyfriend, she had her parents all to herself for a day soon, she got laid, she had Vegeta all to herself, it was her eighteenth birthday soon, she got laid…

She let out another light laugh when she realized how much time she was spending with her boyfriend and how much he was influencing her already. She almost thought like a guy now! She giggled. But she _did_ get laid!

The phone rang once, twice… The tenth time had come around the corner and Bulma's face was by far not so cheerful anymore. She was staring stoically at the other end of the room thinking of various brutal deaths that may have come upon her raven haired friend (for she never missed a race for the phone, even though she was the only one who picked it up usually) when a groggy agitated voice sounded from the other end of the line.

"What is it _now_?" She snapped making her cobalt eyed friend blink stupidly.

"Well, good day to you too!" The other girl lashed back.

"Oh, it's you."

"_HEY!_ Now _that_ was really rude."

"Sorry, B. I just can't even move around here because all of the papers that are rolling around the floor. 'Sup?"

"You're not pulling so easily out of this one, Cheech! Besides, when was it that you had paperwork to do? Never?" Bulma chuckled at that making her friend roll her eyes at that.

"I swear, you're spending far too much time with that rotten bastard of yours. He's influencing you too much…"

"Look who's talking…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" The dark haired girl asked defensively. The other female just laughed heartily at her outburst.

"Nothing. Look, Chi, I was going to ask you if you want me to come and pick you up for ladies' hang out this afternoon at the mall, you know, the usual stuff… I want to show off with the fact I—"

"Look, B – I really don't have time for this right now, okay? I told you, I have tons of work. I'll see you Monday at school okay? Bye! Work doesn't wait much!"

And before she could show off with the fact that she had slept with Vegeta, the line was already dead. Hanging her head low against her collar, the lavender haired girl let her tresses fall around her face, veiling her expression as she sat the cordless phone back on the bed. She sniffed and looked up, her facial features twisted in anger.

How could her life-long friend brush her off just like that! The nerve! What was up her ass today, ruining Bulma's good time! Snorting haughtily in a snobbish manner, she took a jacket and headed straight for her car. She'd stop by at Juu's and pick her up for the mall. _She_ would certainly be a better friend!

**Juu's Household, 20 minutes later…**

A pale fist knocked sternly on the wooden door. No answer. _Knock, knock, knock…_ No answer. _Knock, knock, knock._ Nope, still none. _Knock, knock, knock!_ Nuh-uh.

"_Argh!_"

**_Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—_** "Ow! What's with the commotion—Bulma?"

Overcoming her previous fit of rage when thinking her other friend was ignoring her too, the girl composed herself and smiled at the blonde at her front.

"Hey, Juu! What took you so long?"

"Sorry, been busy." Her counterpart said. "So? What brings you here?"

"I thought that you might want to hang out a bit! I was planning on dragging you to the mall, and things like that. As the last week of being 17 and stuff of the sort. Oh, I have some _grand_ news to share with you as well! _I got—_"

But, she had just as much luck as she did with ChiChi…

"Sorry, B; got shitloads of work to do. I'll call you back later, okay? See ya!" Slam.

The girl stared at the closed door at her front blankly. She was dreaming. She had to be… It couldn't be true… Her friends were rejecting her! And utterly roughly at that… Were they even aware? She was cheerful right then, but that didn't mean that they weren't hurting her beneath the gleeful surface. She took a deep breath and put her chest out, straightening her pose. Well… If they didn't want her, that was fine. She'd find someone to go to the mall with… she hoped.

As she was making her way down Juu's porch, throwing constant glances over her shoulder, she saw Krillin rushing past her. She smiled widely. _'Here's my chance!'_ She thought.

"Her, Krillin, how about—"

"Sorry, B, don't have time." Slam.

They were some lucky bastards (and windows) there weren't any rocks around…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

**Meanwhile…** (Well, not exactly…)

"Goku! Stop yelling like that! Bulma was on the phone! She would've easily found out what we were plotting if you were just a little louder!" ChiChi yelled to her boyfriend that was bringing in a huge arc. He smiled apologetically and set it down, putting his hand behind his neck.

"Sorry, Chi…"

x.x.x

"Damn it! She nearly saw the presents! That was close!" The blonde sighed as she leant against the wall next to the door after she had slammed it shut. She was thrown to the ground when the door swung open and closed fast again, hosting Krillin a hideout from Bulma's prying eyes. "What took you so long? I thought that you lost the way!"

"Hey, hey! There was no confetti in the first shop, so I had to go halfway around the town! Besides, Bulma nearly saw me as I was passing by her."

"Phew… That had been close…" All four teens thought at the same time.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Can you fucking believe it? They blew me off just like that! And those are the people that I actually call friends!" She finished her rant and looked at her boyfriend, who was staring forward towards his students, noticing that they were constantly looking at the couple over their shoulders, snickering at the expression Vegeta was making.

"Tell me again…" He began, rather irritated with all of this, slowly turning his face that had a muscle twitching right beneath his eye. "Why are you here telling me this?"

"I have no one else to go to the mall with." She said, her smile returning to her face as she watched him grow angrier by the second.

"Oh? So I'm your back-up plan when no one else wants to go with you? No! I refuse! I won't come!" He crossed his hands over his chest, proving his point and trying to demonstrate his stubbornness. And probably attain some of the respect he was losing with every second as his minions stared at the two of them bickering.

"Now, now; you know that's quite not correct. I just didn't want to pull you out of practice to come with me and since you hate the Mall so much… But I have no other choice, so you'll have to—"

"_Have_ to? And why would I _have_ to?" She opened her mouth to answer to that, but it was obviously her day for getting cut off mid-sentence. "No, don't answer that! I don't even care! You are _not_ cutting my practice! I ditched yesterday and so did those slackers! We have to train before snow falls and—"

"You know they'll do fine by themselves, Vegeta, don't worry so much!" She beamed heartily at him, trying to convince him in her point.

"No! I'm _not_ coming! You're ruining my image, woman!"

"I'm not ruining anything! Come on! We're going to have so much fun! I heard they're opening a Flora Burgers place there as well. You can eat there while I shop! Come on, Vegeta-a-a-a!"

"No!" He insisted, his face red in anger. Half of his people were snickering loud enough for him to hear clearly now. They didn't have what to worry about though. He was already engaged in a fight.

"Vegeta-a-a-a-a-a! Don't be such a stubborn donkey!" She tried to pull on the sleeve of his navy shirt, but he pulled away before she could do such a thing.

"When I say no, woman, _mean no!_" He hollered, making her pout deepen. He turned his back to her, his hands still crossed over his chest, refusing to look at her any longer. He'd have to yell and threaten those losers for some time now before he got back to his previous status as the scary mighty leader. Before he could move away, however, the woman had latched onto his back; her hands sprawled over his body, clutching him closer to her plump chest. "What the Hell are you doing?" He hissed, his eyes looking to the side without turning his head to look at her as her chin rested on his broad shoulder, her hands sliding down to the rim of his belt. She had a particularly smug expression that was ticking off the life out of him.

"You're so-o-o-o-o stubborn, Vege-chan…" She smiled, as she finally felt the furry object beneath her hand. A grin spread on her face as her hands roamed under his shirt to the object that would make him shiver under her touch… just like he did yesterday night. Her grin widened. "One would never be able to guess you got laid."

"That was the whole point, woman; those losers never needed to know anything of my personal life and—"

His small tirade was cut short when her soft hands caressed his tail beneath his shirt, invisibly for the other guys nearby. He sucked on a breath and clenched his eyes closed, trying to pull back a moan. Damn her, damn her, _damn her!_ Oh, but that felt _so_ good… His expression relaxed a bit and he subconsciously leant back against her chest. She felt just as wonderful as she did yesterday… Not to mention that he hadn't thought of his little mental battle since she awoke… And now she was working her magic over him again. Like yesterday, when she made all thoughts wander away, never to return that night again…

"You're using forbidden arts to blackmail me into doing what you want, woman…" He rasped out in a ragged breath, when containing his groans was becoming harder and harder every minute. He could feel her smile against his neck as she kissed it lightly.

"Oh, come on, Vegeta… You know you don't want me to be upset…"

"I don't…" He answered almost mesmerized, failing to hide his moan of pleasure any longer. She might've suspected it before, but since last night she _knew_ it was true – his tail was his weakest spot. He turned around and captured her lips, suddenly feeling the need to ravish her.

"Vegeta…" She moaned when she pulled away. He thought that she was just caught up in the moment, saying his name like yesterday, when he attempted to capture her lips she dodged him and motioned behind them. That's when he spotted them as well. His whole gang of losers was drooling while watching them. Suddenly he felt his anger reaching a breakpoint.

"What are you waiting for, you losers! Scram! I don't want to see you again today!"

And, of course, since they have been found out they wouldn't gamble their lives. When Vegeta got horny, and was interrupted, he would get _ve-e-e-e-ery_ violent… The dispatched and let the couple to themselves. With a smirk, his dark haired head whipped back to her, a smug expression on his face.

"Where were we?" He muttered almost to himself. "Ah, yes." He said, seizing her lips again. Before his hands could get under her shirt, however, she moved back and shook her index finger at him.

"Nuh-uh-uh!" She exclaimed devilishly. "If you want more, you'll have to come to the mall with me." She said, pleased of her stamina. Damn… His tongue did wonders to her.

He, on the other hand, was staring blankly at her. Her touch gone, her warmth gone. His eye brows narrowed.

"Are you _blackmailing_ me?" He shouted disbelievingly. "No!" He stomped his foot and turned away, trying his best to hide the erected bulge in his lower region. _'Damn her, damn her, **damn her**_!'

"No what?" She said teasingly.

"No!" He repeated.

"No, you don't want to sleep with me tonight?" She grinned. He looked at her. She almost laughed at his expression. If he was a little more innocent-looking he would've looked like a lost puppy. His face screamed 'I do! I do! Shag me, shag me-e-e-e-e!'

"No, I ain't giving in! I'm _not_ going!"

"Okay then. If I am alone now, you're going to be alone tonight." She shrugged her shoulders, making her way to the car. Her key was in the ignition when the passenger door shut and she looked up smiling at her boyfriend. "I knew you'd see it my way."

He growled something that sounded much like 'curse you…'

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

They were roaming aimlessly around the mall for hours now. He was constantly moaning (growling) and whining (yelling at her) about being dragged around (literally). She wouldn't listen to him though… She'd just keep on trying dresses (the part he liked), underwear (from Victoria's Secret that he would like even more if she'd only let him see), shoes (the most boring part), jewels (he wasn't really interested and neither was she, said between you and me) and other useless things that he claimed she would never use once her whole life.

"Just this last one, okay? You can go eat something if you like! I'll catch up with you!" She said, entering the next jewelry store. He growled in his throat and shoved his hands in his pockets angrily. He looked at the side to see a store for silver. His eye brows narrowed. Damn store… He refused to enter it with her, he wasn't going to do it now either.

Even though… He needed to find something for her. He knew she could buy anything she wanted and it wasn't material things she wanted. But still! He insisted. He wanted to find something she would like. He wanted to find something he would gladly give her… But what!

Meanwhile, Bulma was having the same trouble. The whole time she had been taking side-glances at various things… She was considering most seriously a heart with "best friends" or something that they could separate between each other… But she doubted that even if she did give him such a thing he would like it. She just knew he wouldn't, even if he would soften his reaction just to have her (after all, she _did_ promise she'd let them have some tonight; she giggled at the thought).

And then she saw it. Her grin spread widely. Yes! That was it!

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

**That night…**

A content sight escaped her as she looked up. It was still the same… But it wasn't any big deal. She had her patience. Even though she didn't exactly look like it right then… She grinned and jumped out of bed, startling her counterpart.

"Where are you going?" He asked, somehow alarmed, plopping himself on his elbows, observing her as she scurried around. "What are you doing?" Vegeta asked, agitated that she was ignoring him completely.

She finally seemed to have found what she was looking for. She stood up, allowing him to have a nice view of her completely naked body. He was getting quite used of seeing her like that… He smirked as she approached him, something hidden behind her back.

"So?" He asked, his patience long since lost. Her grin only widened.

"Happy Birthday, V-chan!" She exclaimed and pulled the object from behind her back in front of him on the bed to see. He stared at the clumsily wrapped small box and looked up at her with an unreadable expression. "Well, open it! I know – I heard it when you said – that you hate your birthday… But I still think that a present is a good thing…" He reached out and tore the wrapping paper. "It's a little something that I'd thought you'd like, since…" She smiled. "Since it kind of reminds me of you."

In the small velvet box inside, he found the most beautiful huge silver necklace he had seen. Its stitch not too large to be despicable, but not too small to be considered feminine either. It looked flawless… And the pendant hanging on it. He lifted it to his eye level. A beautiful graceful dragon… It was made beautifully out of silver. It looked really heavy. Ergo, it cost a lot of money. The silver was a rare probe. It was so clear… He didn't look up at her. He seemed mesmerized by the long dragon… (It was like those Chinese ones).

"So… Do you… Like—"

Before she could finish her sentence, he was over her, his body atop hers, his present tightly clutched into his fist that was supporting his body not to crush her. She smiled in the midst of their heated kiss.

Yes… He liked it very much…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

But, of course, things by far did not go as smoothly as she would've liked them to.

Even though she _knew_ he loved his present, he began avoiding her the next few days before her birthday. She hoped that the fact she adored him now would bring them closer. No such luck… That was the most painful part that was plaguing her… Whether he had gone back to sulking (because that day, he had _definitely_ forgotten all his worries)… Whether he didn't want to see her…

The further worry of the lavender haired girl was that her friends kept brushing her off in the utter-most rude way. It was… Repulsing. It was… Heartbreaking… Even your friends are cold to you in the most tragic of days. In the most faithful of days… Your own birthday…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

**Monday, 21 November, Bulma's birthday…**

"I'm sorry, B! Just a second!"

"Be right back! Need to fetch something!"

"Huh? What? Oh, yeah. Just a moment… I'll be right there, okay?"

"I don't have time for you right now, okay?"

"Just wait a few, okay?"

"_No, NOT OKAY!_" The lavender haired girl yelled at her face in the mirror. "How can you not understand that I just want you to be with me again… ChiChi…" She slid against the nearest wall, hiccupping. "And Juu… Goku… Krillin too… Even Yamcha… And most of all… Vegeta… Why… Why are you all so cold to me now… Why are you leaving me when I thought you were excited about today just as much as I was…" She sobbed lightly, unaware of emerald prying eyes watching her every move.

'Is she talking to herself?'

"Why are you all so cold… Why won't you trust me… Why…"

"What are you doing?" Hailie jumped in when she noticed that the other girl would fall in a fit of insane crying if she didn't do it now. But, instead of yelling at her to buzz off, to disappear, the other girl looked up at her with a sad smile through her tears.

"Go on… Mock me… Make fun of me… Hurt me… It doesn't really matter anymore… My friends don't want me… What is it worth anymore then…? This day… This year… This…life…"

Before she knew it, she had been slapped right across the face; her head sent side-ways from the strength of the slap. Her eyes widened, looking at Hailie. Her emerald eyes were sparking in anger, her jaw tight.

"Don't you ever say such a thing again!" She shouted on top of her lungs. She coughed a lot after it. "Do not _ever_ say that again!" She clenched her fists by her side as she looked at Bulma on the ground. "You're upset because of your friends? You think they ignore you because they _suddenly_ feel enrage with you? With Ms. Perfect that never does anything wrong!" She thrust her hand outward and gripped at Bulma's elbow, pulling the other girl to her feet. "People don't usually just change their minds without you doing something utterly stupid and thoughtless! Do you really believe you, miss goody-two-shoes, could be capable of that, in your happy-go-lucky mood?"

"Hailie…"

"You doubt your close ones for awful things! Haven't you even thought that maybe it is not a bad occasion but a good one that they're avoiding you?" She shoved Bulma against the wall. "Haven't you thought that they love you more than you will ever manage with your doubtful feelings of their intentions? Haven't you even thought that they would want to do something special, to surprise you, to see you smile on your most special of moments?"

"I…"

"Shut up!" She yelled suddenly, startling her. "You do not deserve Vegeta!" In a moment, Bulma thought that the other girl had come back to her old ways, when she heard her next words. "He would never do such a thing to _you_… You're too good of a catch for him to lose. No! Vegeta isn't stupid, but _you obviously are_! How could you doubt him? How could you even imagine that maybe it wasn't something special that he wanted to do for you since you gave him that present? How can you _possibly_ doubt him if you claim you love him that much?"

"How do you know about—"

"As opposed to _you_, I notice every change about him! And I see how much his glare softens whenever you're around. I see that he can finally be happy if he's with you! I see that he will treasure you more than he ever treasured me…" She trailed off, her voice fading into a severe coughing fit. "You… How can you doubt those people… You claim you know all about them… But you haven't learnt the most important thing… You do not know what it is to lose a loved one…"

Bulma looked at the other girl as she composed herself, as if just noticing her outburst.

"Maybe you should get hurt… Just to know what it is and what the symptoms are…" She turned over her shoulder. "Make no mistake… It is just that your…friendly manner that you began speaking with me the last week ticked me off… I hate to see a girl cry for things that aren't really so…" And with that she walked out of the door of the girls' bathroom, without another word spoken between them…

What had just happened? Why had Hailie done that? What was that supposed to mean? Why was that outburst…

With smile, Bulma pulled herself up and looked in the mirror. One thing Hailie was right about. She had to have more belief and patience with her friends… It was just that this waiting for Vegeta thing was using up most of her nerves and making her all jumpy the whole time.

She heard the bell that signalized the end of classes for today and she rubbed her eyes, making all traces of her crying to disappear. She'd find him, no matter what!

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Vegeta was struggling with something that just kept escaping his fingers. He growled. He hated doing this. He had always sucked at it big time… He looked at the fragile object between his hard fingers. He smiled at it. Even though he could not grasp why he wanted _that_ engraved… He felt it right this way. He sure hoped she did too…

"Vegeta!" A girl yelled happily as she collided against his back, making him hide his belonging.

"Woman! Get off me!" He squirmed to shove her off. She didn't let go.

"Oh, no, you don't! You've kept on rejecting me the past few days. It's my birthday today, and you're going to do as _I_ wish to! It's my freaking birthday! I turn eighteen once in a lifetime! And you try to ruin it! I won't let you do that!" She let go and he looked weirdly at her as he turned around to face her, his expression betraying his annoyance. "And in the name of the moon," she made some very awkward moves with her hands, "I'll punish you!"

"When looking at you one won't be able to tell whether you're eight or eighteen…" He dropped off and stuffed the small package deeper in his pocket. He began to retreat (in hopes of her to follow him), only to have her run a bit to catch up.

"Hey! Don't insult me today, jerk! It's my b-day-y-y-y!" She nudged him over the head. "Where are we going? I won't move until you say you're sorry!"

"I'm saying no such thing…" He mumbled stubbornly.

"Hell you are!" She moved her chin up haughtily. "Come on, or I'll have to _make_ you." Her eyes gave an evil glint. Vegeta just laughed at her. She sweatdropped. "Hey! Don't laugh at me like that! Meanie…"

"You're getting weirder and weirder with every second today, woman."

"Oh, shut up!" She snapped defensively and crossed her hands over her chest. "I ain't talking to you before you say you're sorry. And I ain't moving either. The only thing you're going to be hugging tonight will be bed sheets and pillows, mister!" She pointed her index finger in his face. He looked completely unfazed by her words.

"I don't hug you even after we have sex, moron…" He informed her. Her face faltered. Aw, that stung hard. He shook his head at her. "I don't have time for this…" She was about to yell all that she wanted to interrupt Hailie with. She wanted to yell at him for not _ever_ having time for her lately. For all of them that had more important work than her… She wanted to make them deaf for their ignorance of her feelings. She wanted to make them open their stupid eyes and see that they were hurting her! She wanted her balance…

Balance?

"GYAH!" She shrieked loudly when her boyfriend flipped her over his shoulder as if she was the lightest thing on Earth. "What are you doing? Stupid Vegeta! Put me down! Put me down, I tell you!" By the time her shrewd voice had gathered many students' attentions.

"We're going home." He informed her.

"Home?" She repeated, ceasing her movements. "Where's home?"

"Where the losers are, of course."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

_A/N: Okay! Here we have it. The chapter really had some quite bright moments, in my opinion. And sorry it was so late, and that it was really out of characteristic at some places, or whatever. I wasn't planning on writing it any time soon. My muse completely died out… More exams keep coming my way, even though I'm at home for now, and for more time these weeks… _

_What I am even sorrier is lying to you. I really **did** want to write a lemon for you (horny –snickers-) guys, but I didn't feel like in the mood for writing lemons. I just wanted to finish this chapter and get closer to the climax of the story. Besides, once I get to the streamy part, most would leave... So I'll tease some more before I get there -wink-  
_

_Don't forget to review! The more you review, the faster next chapter is to be out! If your words touch me deeply, I'll probably write immediately! I just love you guys so much and depend on all of you so!_

_Yours sincerely, Dark Hope Assassin._


	16. Ch16: Party, Party! The First Part

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Sixteen: Party, Party! First Part._

The whole way towards Capsule Corporation, Bulma pounded her small harmless fists against her boyfriend's back who seemed by far not fazed the least by her resistance. He had been kindly 'instructed' to take her there. He hadn't been told to persuade her or coax her into it; no one said she had to come _willingly_.

"Stop being such a bastard, you brain-dead fool! Let go of me! Damn you! Stop embarrassing me!" She screeched madly like a banshee on the loose. Her companion chuckled but did nothing to acknowledge her request.

"You're doing that well enough by yourself, I don't need to interject at all." He remarked. She rolled her eyes in boiling annoyance, making a swift move as to send a kick in his face, yet her try ended up by her hanging loosely in the air like an overgrown bag of potatoes, held just by her bent knees.

She shrieked in terror again. He was flipping her around as if she was some feather or a rag doll with which he could do whatever he wanted to. Such a helpless situation, and on her very birthday nonetheless, annoyed the daylights out of her and just got her even more worked up. Not that she minded being in his arms. She just thought that the phrase should be understood a little bit more literally for she already knew she despised hanging over his shoulder like some worthless object.

"You damn bastard! Next time we get in bed, I'll make sure to bite. And, mind you, I can bite _really hard!_" She took a swing towards his groin in her upside-down position, but Vegeta was too fast for her and had already switched her position in his embrace. She let herself relax just a little bit before she pinched his chest with a ferocity to be envied for. He didn't even flinch. All he did was chuckle at her futile attempts to escape his clutch.

"I can't already wait." He said at a close proximity to her and she blinked in his face her confusion, inspecting his every facial feature. His face was so clear, unlike most teenagers, but not unalike herself. His skin was so smooth to the touch, slightly tanner than most others'. His eye brows were perfectly shaped and for the umpteenth time since they have gotten together she wondered whether he plucked them. His expression, firm and stern, yet to her anything but intimidating. He radiated a security that made her feel safe whenever in his range. His smirk, such a fascinating feature of his – it absolutely enhanced his dark appearance with a very powerful sense of dangerous and intriguing sex appeal. She smiled mentally. And he was all hers to begin with…

She fought the urge to lean in and dissipate the last of the distance between them. She had to remind herself that she had been _angry_ with him. Yes, yes, anger… She noted that his grip on her had loosened a bit, leaving place for her to get off of him and onto two solid feet. The lavender haired heiress dusted her clothes off haughtily.

"Why'd you stop?" She questioned a little bit snappily as if the previous exchange had never been, making the fading smirk return on his gracious features.

"You can't recognize your own house? Why, woman, I thought you had enough capacity in that head of yours to do _at least_ that." He answered smugly. She shook with rage. Hormones were already too much for her, and the excitement surging through her did little to help her with dealing things.

"Stop insulting on my birthday, you damn barbarian! Didn't anyone ever teach you how to treat a lady!" She cried aloud as she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and tried to shake him. He didn't budge. Sometimes his being so many times stronger was rea-a-a-ally agitating. She growled her disapproval.

"What you do even now only serves to prove the point that you are a lady only by title." She rolled her eyes at his words and considered whether to kick him in the nuts now or fulfill her threat later. Before she could do anything of the sort, she noticed the heavy silver necklace that she had given him striking out of his shirt. It had obviously been put before the shirt. Or not even taken off in the first place. She fingered the dragon figurine with an expressionless face. He looked down to see what she was doing.

"You…" She began, but her voice was very faint and distant; obviously she was deep in thought. She cleared her throat and attempted again, this time she sounded more confident. "You're carrying it."

"That's not a question."

She looked up at him. He had the same emotionless expression she did. Her eyes roved his features again, leaving the pair in silence as the girl appeared to be thinking deeply.

"They'll skin us if we don't enter soon." He stated, not really sounding convincing or convinced himself. His girlfriend shrugged but turned around to face the front door nonetheless. She reached out for the door handle but before she entered, her hand lingered above it.

"Vegeta?" Her voice was raked with uncertainty.

"Hmmm?"

"It sounds extremely selfish, yet…" She turned her head around to look at him. "Please try to forget whatever's troubling you… Just this day, just this once… Not just for me, but for yourself too…" She turned back around. "I wish… My birthday wish… I don't need to blow off the candles to try and have my wish fulfilled. The only one that can give me the Vegeta, the undistracted Vegeta, the boyfriend I saw the first day I met, is Vegeta himself… That's the only thing I can wish this day…"

And with that, she left a blown off Vegeta to stare after her upon her entrance in Capsule Corporation, the joyful screams of "Happy Birthday, Bulma!" all over the place, yet to the dark haired teenager distant and muffled sounds, much resembling hallucinations and illusions as he joined the small crowd of close friends inside, still deep in thought.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

He stepped over the doorframe reluctantly, not even hearing what the others were saying to him. He was still discussing with himself his woman's words.

"_The undistracted Vegeta_" she had said… "_The boyfriend she saw the first day she met_"… She didn't even know what she was seeing back then, but she wanted him back now? She made no sense and she didn't even know it… Had she sensed his diversion lately? Had she sensed the troubles he was going through, coping with his life? What had given him away? Was it the way he was looking at her? The way he touched her? The way he moved against her in the intimate time they spent together?

He shook his head. Whatever it was, she knew. And she was probably suffering his distrust of her. But he didn't want to bear his soul to another ever again. He had been bitten, and hard, the last time he had done it, and now he was still paying the consequences of trusting another. No… This was something he had to do himself… If he could not even manage _that_, he was useless… Useless to the world, to her, and mostly to himself. The pain was a part of him… It would forever be that way… Bitterness had been met on daily basis during all those nineteen years of his life… One would think he would've gotten used to it by now.

Well, there's your proof that you just can't get used to some things…

Yet, even though she had no idea what she was blathering about, he knew perfectly well whom she wanted… And he had no idea whether he could be that person again.

His willpower was decreasing rapidly nowadays even though to the rest of the clique that did not spent additional time with him and could care less what happened in that screwed up head of his he probably seemed just like he always did. Even so… He wanted to have her in his arms once without having any back thoughts… He wanted to make love to her once without hearing the annoying voices in his head. It was all part of his psyche, so he should be the only one able to chase them away too. She had been right. The only one that could fulfill her wish was him.

He smirked reluctantly, a poor attempt to form a smile. And he planned on making her birthday a memorable day for them both.

With just a slight sense of resistance, he neared the group of giddy teenagers conversing over one another not really seeming to be listening to each other and closed the door behind himself. Today was going to be a long day…

So the best thing he could do was get ready for the long ride.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"What took you so friggin long to get here? We were starting to get worried some car walked over you or something!" ChiChi scorned as Bulma's eyes wandered curiously about the place and the changes they have done to it.

There was a huge arc in a rainbow form with "Happy Birthday, B-chan" scribbled in Goku's 'incompetent' hand-writing, as Vegeta liked to put it. It surprised her, even though she did not mind the least her friend's idiocy and childish naivety, that he had not misspelled anything even though the sentence in itself was quite an easy one that you thought no one could get wrong. But, then again, Goku was certainly _not_ just anybody… She sweatdropped.

Her eyes shifted over to all of the balloons tied loosely on armchairs, couches and tables all around the spacious premise. The cobalt orbs then took in the lovely colours that the house had attained upon their intrusion and the nice snacks all around. She smiled to herself and wondered how hard it must've been to do all of these things and managing to keep it secret from her. She couldn't help but wonder how they've done it even though she had the results presented before her quite clearly.

"**_So_**?" ChiChi nearly shrieked. Bulma's eyes frisked between the gleeful faces of all her friends together all silently expecting her to say what she thought, the unreadable expression of her handsome boyfriend and the pissed face of ChiChi. With one swift movement, the lavender haired heiress kissed her friend's cheek and hugged her, taking her out of her little tantrum rage.

"Everything is so wonderful, you guys! I love it already! I'm so sorry I have been so sore with you lately… It's just that I felt a bit left out, that's all… No wonder I did, actually." They all chuckled (you can definitely guess with the exception of whom). "And, seriously, I'm happy I was left out. I would never want a surprise of this kind ruined!" She began jumping around with excitement, finally releasing some of the stress of the previous week.

"Oh, joy… Here we go again with the mushiness…" Vegeta muttered, earning a slap over the shoulder, at which he grinned down at his beautiful girlfriend. All he could think was how fiery and sexy she got when she was angered. Her aggravated expression set a fire burning in the pit of his stomach; and excitement of a kind that he could get addicted to… "You're very violent today, woman."

"And _you_ are very annoying today, _man_." She huffed haughtily and turned her attention away from him. "So, where are my presents? I want to see my presents! And dare say you bought me nothing! You shall suffer the wrath of the Earth Queen, mwahahaha!"

"B, please refrain from laughing like that… It's…" Krillin began uncertainly.

"Scary?" Bulma interjected with a hint of bouncing glee in her tone.

"Unnatural and _totally_ not suiting you." Juuhachi clarified. Bulma shot her a dirty glare. How dare she burst her bubble so brutally! The nerve of that woman. "Here's mine." She said as she tossed the girl a package, wrapped klutzily. Well, at least she knew how to bribe her friend into forgetting her 'sins'.

"Oh, goody!" Bulma squealed much like a two-year-old as she threw herself on a sofa and began unwrapping the paper. When she didn't manage, she decided to just rip it off, as the action provided even a bit more drama to it all. Or at least in her point of view, it did. She had no idea what her friends thought of the moment. But then again, what did she care? She got presents!

When she was done turning the poor wrapping paper to shreds, what came out hidden within it was a semi-large figurine of a white cat that was scratching itself behind one huge cute ear with its snowy white paw, its eyes closed, sightless to the world around it. Bulma grinned. She remembered seeing it in Juuhachi's apartment a year and a half ago and could also recall her excitement and powerful wish to have the figure, but her blonde friend had rejected her coldly, saying that it was something precious to her that she could not give away. Back then, the two hadn't really been close and … well, things have changed drastically since then.

Her cerulean eyes lifted to meet Juu's gaze who grinned back.

"Don't you dare say you don't want it anymore because I'm going to thrash it upon your head if you do so." The lighter haired girl said threateningly, but it didn't really come as intimidating as it sounded in her head. Bulma grinned even wider.

"It'll be on my top shelf!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes at his girlfriend's childish innocence and naivety, as well as the objects that brought her joy… But then again, she could get anything she wanted… What should matter more to her would most definitely be something that bared symbolism rather than materialism. He smiled at her foolishness… She was really so pure…

"My turn!" Krillin cried and stepped up, with a huge present in hands.

"Whoa, let's hope it's nothing dangerous!" Bulma exclaimed, erupting a bit of light-hearted laughter from the others. Krillin was quite famous for his own ditziness as well…

"Nope, nope; nothing dangerous!"

She had an easier time opening this one and when she did, she gasped her surprise. Her eyes met with Krillin's, shimmering with joy and unspoken words of adoration that she just couldn't find the voice to say on that precise moment.

"My grandfather had been more than thankful to share his life's works and accomplishments with the most promising of the Briefs family members yet. He says the newspapers are finally saying something true when they claim you to be the most potential filled youth out there right now! He really admires you and your father's work, you know…" The small bald boy explained, making Bulma hug him and place a little fleeting butterfly kiss on the top of his head.

"Thank you so much, Krillin! You have no idea how helpful your granddad's knowledge of thermonuclear synthesis and nuclear activity will be to Capsule Corporation. Just wait until my dad hears about the projects I'll make, oh!" She jumped up and down and around on her place. Vegeta shook his head slowly, feeling how he couldn't just get the smirk wiped from his face. The ease with which those difficult terms rolled off her tongue as if they were everyday speech always baffled him. If he had never known her family name, he would've never guessed how smart she could actually be if she only talked about regular girl topics.

"Here's my present for you, Bulma! Happy birthday!" Goku hugged her tightly in a bear hug. She squealed in excitement as he set her back down for he had got her in the air as she was quite shorter than him and was already at the task of exploring yet another present.

She looked strangely at it. It looked like one of those Christmas colourful lamps. An overgrown Christmas lamp. She wondered how she could use it. True, Christmas was nearing, but even so…? She took the huge ball in her hands and began flipping it around, trying to figure what it could do. Goku laughed and took it from her hands and when he did so, it was the first time she noticed that it actually had a long plug behind it. When he plugged it in, it began flashing with bright colours. It had a core, of more intense and dark colours – blue, dark green. It looked like an atom or something like it…

"Touch its surface." Goku all but ordered. She looked distrustfully at her life-long friend.

"How do I know it's not a trick?"

"Try and see for yourself." Point taken, Bulma noted and reached out uncertainly for it.

When her finger made impact with it, it looked as if the core set a small thunder of electricity to her finger. Everyone around (with the exception of the same person, again) gawked and let out gasps of fascination. Goku grinned his widest toothy grin yet at the lavender haired birthday girl.

"Like it?" He asked as Bulma dragged her finger down the surface, staring slightly wider eyed at the object as the little wave of electricity followed her finger's movement, not detaching itself from her finger tip for the smallest second, looking even more like an atom than before to the female.

"Like it? I think I love something as simple as this! Just look at it!" In a fit of mad joy, all ten fingers of hers touched the sphere and ten lines of the strange thunder-like waves stuck from beneath them. "Look at me! I'm psychic!"

"No, you're psychotic." Vegeta remarked, making her reach out to hit him, but this time he was faster and dodged her easily, shaking his index finger at her. "Ah, ah, ah, ah! No violence, woman, or I shall not give you what I've taken…" At his words, the girl's anxiety piqued. She had no idea how her boyfriend's mind worked, and especially not for presents, since she had never seen him give any to anyone, yet the knowledge of his having one for her made her even more restless.

"You'll have to wait in the line, as it is my turn now!" ChiChi said haughtily and placed a neatly packaged bag in Bulma's lap. The other girl stared at it, musing what it could be for a brief moment before deciding to see for herself instead of having mere suspicions.

It proved to be something that she would certainly find very valuable later. There was a picture album with photos of all the clique members (close ones, meaning, everyone but Yamcha and Marron) together, some of the couples, various groups, as well as many good shots of Bulma herself, smiling brightly at the camera, and to the two hardheaded teens' surprise, quite a few shots of them making out, which was _not_ in public. Bulma's eyes whipped in direction of ChiChi and her mouth had hung open.

"Chi!" She said through laughter. She had never thought her dear friend such a voyeur.

"Now, don't look at me like that. They're some pretty nice pictures. Very well done too, I must say." She looked at her finely filed nails snobbishly. She soon dropped the act as she ushered her friend to look further down.

Doing so, Bulma found a beautiful small white dress that could fit only a child that had entered a child Miss and Mister contest, but the little thing brought so many memories back… Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she recalled all the wonderful times she and ChiChi had spent playing brides with ChiChi's favorite pairs of dresses back then. Those times were the ones when Bulma did not have a whole fortune standing in front of her, just waiting for her to mature to take over it and when ChiChi had actually been the one with the huge walk-in wardrobes and huge premises to live in. What beautiful times it had been…

"Well, you cannot quite fit into _that_," the raven haired girl said slowly. "But maybe one day your baby girl would like to have it." Her eyes rolled reluctantly on the dark spiky-haired teen by her side as she said so.

"Stop giving me such looks, damn you all! What's that supposed to mean, harpy?" He tried to defend his straining composure, but got himself waved off by the girl in question.

"When you become a little bit more civilized I might decide to answer your questions, savage." Bulma sniggered at that.

"You're supposed to be on my side, you know." Vegeta told her, rolling his eyes at the lavender haired girl.

"Can't. She's right there, you know…" She explained, making him growl his disapproval. It only made her laugh some more. What a wonderful day… So many wonderful memories… Her head snapped in his direction and she looked expectantly at his face. When he didn't move and neither did she, he spoke harshly,

"What?"

"Your turn!"

"I'll give you mine later."

"You haven't bought it yet, have you? You forgot! I knew it!" She exclaimed and pointed a rigid finger at him. She was about to get involved in a long rant and useless tirade when she saw him grab onto something in his inner pocket, flip it between his fingers and striking it right in front of her eyes, much too close and fast for her to focus before he flipped it in his large palm again, concealing it from her prying gaze and swiftly returning it to its previous place.

"When I say later, I _mean_ later."

With that said and done, the fair boys and girls understood that it was something that the enigmatic teenager wanted to share only with his girlfriend. And, strangely, without annoying Marron there, no one seemed to have a problem with it either.

"What do we do now?" Krillin asked, looking around helplessly for someone to answer him.

"Let's play kabobs!" Bulma exclaimed, a rigid finger in the air by her face.

"Play what?" Juuhachi lifted a fine eye brow as did ChiChi. They were quite sure their friend had completely cracked by the strain of the adrenaline today.

"Kabobs!" Bulma repeated excitedly, jumping up from the couch in front of which she had lovingly and carefully placed all her new possessions. "It's a game I learned from a trip to Bulgaria with my father when I was at the age of ten. It was a very fascinating thing at the time, mind you. Those people really have some imagination!" When they continued looking ludicrously at her as if she had just sported a horn on her head, she decided to explain them the rules of that game.

"Okay, so…" She began, pulling on Vegeta's hand, bringing him closer as a featuring party in the explanation. "The one that will have to hit the other has their hands below and the one that will have to dodge has their hands over, like this." She stuck her fingers completely near each over and straightened her palm, as if providing invisible "frying pans" for Vegeta's "kabobs", or at least what his hands (that mimicked the position Bulma's did as instructed) should've been representing. "You extend your arms a bit, so when you take a swing at your opponent you don't get stopped by your own inflexibility by the fact your body's too close." She did as she explained, both parties at near-arms length. "You can move your hands slightly forward and backward to fool the other whether you're going to strike or not." She demonstrated. "And the one who has their hands below has the task of hitting the other's hands, as for their opponent, in my case Vegeta, he has to dodge. Like this." She smacked his hands with hers in a swift movement, that looked quite trained. The boy blinked his confusion, before his eye brows narrowed over his eyes. From what he had managed to collect of the game, he had just lost the first assault with 1 to 0 for the woman. "Easy, eh?"

Her hands moved slightly beneath his again. The touch was too much for his concentration. Or more like for his straining mind that was doing a very good job at bottling up everything. The fact she was touching him and he couldn't already wait for them to be alone again was too much and he just missed the moment when her hands managed to slip from beneath his for a graceful slap again. He frowned deeper, seeming even more concentrated.

His hands were so close to her that he could just lift them a little bit up and forward and rake her body ruthlessly. All he could think about in a moment's length was the way she always screamed his name right before she would relax in his arms after a fiery night together. _Smack_. He was brought out of the daydream at once. He growled under his breath. Three to zero for the woman.

He had to win against her now. He had far better reflexes, exceeded by far her fastest movement and sported better concentration than hers at most times. Her glittering blue eyes that shone with joy and victory distracted him, yet again… Before he knew it, she had slapped his hands again. His growl was a little more audible now.

"You're losing your training, Vege-kun." Bulma chuckled as he was setting his hands angrily back upon hers to be surprised at having another slap served on the back of each hand before he had barely reached onto her. His growl was very loud now. He muttered something about idiotic women and stupid diversions, as well as a few choice curse words of "damn concentration". Just when she was about to score another victory he dodged her and laughed evilly.

"Ha-ha! Take that damage, bitch!" Bulma had a very hard time controlling herself and her overwhelming laughter as her boyfriend savored the taste of his victory over the five ones. And to think that she thought herself acting childish.

"So?" She looked expectantly at the others, who shared worried looks between one another.

"Er… I think it's a bit too much of a violent game… Particularly when guys have to slap girls." Goku clarified.

"Let's do something else." ChiChi said, sitting on a settee.

"Dig in!" Vegeta and Goku both exclaimed, running in for the sandwiches.

It was a rather large clash of two males for food and the rest four of the gang tumbling behind them, collecting everything edible that they missed on their way through the pile of delicious dishes that ChiChi had made specially for the occasion.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The candles had been blown a good half an hour ago and Vegeta was the only one who knew what Bulma had wished, and even though the two large teenagers' assault on the food, everyone had managed to get a decent portion of everything, managed to fill their stomachs and even had a piece of the cake. All of them voiced their thanks to ChiChi, and Bulma remarked for the umpteenth time that the girl would make a really nice cook.

They were stuck yet again with the very same question that had haunted them before they sat at the table – what to do now. Plays like hide and seek were out of the question as too childish (not that they minded them; all of them were actually subtly up for it, yet no one brought it up as they did not think it proper for an eighteenth birthday party). What was left was,

"Truth or dare!" Krillin exclaimed excitedly.

"Chrome dome finally showed his true colours. Go call an ambulance." Juu nudged ChiChi sarcastically.

"No, no! No need. Let's play truth or dare!" He explained himself. Bulma's eyes lit up at the mention of the game. She had always loved playing it with her friends. They have come to know so many things about each other that they have not expected that way.

"Let's!"

"What?" Goku had just returned from the kitchen with a fresh pair of sandwiches, one of which was stolen right underneath his nose as Vegeta had just begun getting hungry too.

"We're playing truth or dare!" Bulma explained.

"I _hate_ truth or dare." ChiChi hissed. "Last time I said truth you went on picking on me for weeks!"

"That's the risk of the game and what makes it more interesting." Juu said smugly, looking at her filed nails much like ChiChi did an hour or so before.

"You keep your mouth shut, miss I-Reanimated-My-Childhood-Teddy-Bear." The raven haired girl said. Despite herself Juuhachi blushed when noticing the amused expression Vegeta made at the knowledge.

"I can't believe you remember such useless stuff but just can't seem to remember your mechanics!"

"Not all of us are natural prodigies, you know." ChiChi argued back.

"Okay, enough is enough!" Bulma exclaimed, holding up a hand to separate the two antagonists. "Let's get back to the task at hand! I'll be the one asking the questions first. As a birthday girl it is my rightful… err… right…" She trailed off at the nicely formed sentence she had there.

"Get on with it!" Goku said as he sat on the floor looking at her. They all got comfortable on the furniture around, forming a tight circle. Bulma cleared her throat and turned to ChiChi, who was the first person on her left.

"Okay, Chi: truth or dare?"

"Truth." ChiChi said without any doubt in her voice. She had bad experience with sharing the truth, but she had even worse with Bulma's tendency at dares.

"Wonderful." Bulma grinned and began considering something. "Okay, darling, here's my question for you. How often do you masturbate weekly?" She wore such a firm expression of innocent interest that least you've heard the words that escaped her mouth you would've never guessed what she had asked. ChiChi choked on her saliva.

"What the hell is that for a question?" She shrieked. Goku was the only one that did not seem to have an opinion on the topic. Bulma's interest shone brightly in her eyes like a bashful virgin devouring every information about the way children are conceived, while Vegeta's eyes sparkled with an evil glint. Krillin was trying to look somewhere else but her yet she knew he was eavesdropping to hear what she had to say on the topic. Juuhachi tried to look unaffected, but every time their eyes met the charcoal eyes of the other girl noticed the laughter in the azure orbs.

"Simple one for a simple answer, Chi. How often? Come on, we're all human!"

"I will share no such knowledge with the likes of you, Bulma Briefs!" The other girl crossed her hands over her chest and huffed, looking away, her face red to the tips of her ears. Bulma pouted.

"You're such a spoil sport, Chi!"

"We have to make a penalty for those who refuse to do as they're said to!" Juuhachi exclaimed. ChiChi's furious gaze landed on her.

"We will make no such thing!"

"Yes, we will!" Bulma explained, a brilliant idea already shining like a beacon in the dead of night in her mind. "If you refuse to do as you're being made by the person who's asking the questions, you'll have to run down the length of the street clad in only your underwear." She turned to her boyfriend. "I believe you will help me with enforcing the rule if need came?"

"Of course." The evil glint and laughter in his eyes made it clear to everyone anything was better than running half-naked down a street with a mad Vegeta on the loose after you.

"Okay, so… Goku. Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"Oh, goody!" Bulma exclaimed and looked around. She noticed the perfect prank to play on her good-natured friend. She went over and poured him a huge cup of orange juice. "Drink this." She ordered.

"Piece of cake!" Goku almost sighed in relief. He too knew the evil plots that formed beneath the wheels in Bulma's mastermind head. She held a hand out to stop him.

"I wasn't done yet." She said as she reached out for the salt, pouring most contents inside. "I watch too much that Fear Factor show. Now drink." She cackled evilly. Goku looked at the oddly palely orange liquid. He gulped loudly, but pictured himself jumping down the busy street clad only in his green elephants sitting on half-moons boxers and decided that this was quite the better decision.

"Tops up!" He exclaimed a little bit too enthusiastically and gulped down the contents of the glass with a slight difficulty. His face was fixed into an expression of disgust as he set the glass down, looking as thought he had just eaten a whole lemon. Bulma giggled.

"Glad you watered down some of that food, Goku-chan." She giggled infernally.

"Okay, my turn." Juuhachi said. She couldn't wait to see what the lavender haired vixen had in store for her.

"Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Hmmm… Who was you first boyfriend? _Ever_!"

Juu made a face of disgust. "Must I say that? It makes me feel dirty and tainted…"

"You can always show some of our school mates that still linger down the streets what her bra looks like." Vegeta commented, making her face pale at the mental thought. Good point, she noted mentally.

"Yamcha…" She muttered barely audible. Bulma gawked at her.

"You're serious!"

"Yeah… He was in the same middle school as I was. We were together in seventh grade… Don't look at me like that! I was young and stupid, and he was the coolest boy around!"

"I can't even begin to picture it…" Krillin muttered.

"Whoa, neither can I…" Bulma said.

"Back to the task, woman." Her boyfriend reminded her. With a quick 'oh, yes, yes; the task' she looked expectantly at Krillin.

"Dare."

The girl looked around, her eyes and mind already plotting and scheming. Her eyes lit up and she turned back to him, getting to her feet and collecting the kitten figurine Juu gave her.

"You have to get this…" She showed him the cat, "…from here…" she set it on the highest shelf a few feet above his arm's reach, "…without using any of the sitting furniture for help. If you break it, you know I'll skin you raw."

"Hey! That's not fair!" Krillin exclaimed.

"You know what you have to do."

"You're playing really low, B." ChiChi told her.

"I know."

"Nice style." Vegeta remarked. Bulma boasted with pride. You didn't get complimented every day by your sophisticated enigmatic boyfriend. It was an occasion not to be spoilt in any possible way.

The group watched with utter amusement how the little man climbed the shelves watching as not to break any of the fine glasses that were placed upon them. Even Juuhachi, who highly sympathized with her near-boyfriend, had to put a hand to her mouth to hide her grin as the boy made a complete idiot of himself. Cruelty was youths' power, definitely was.

"Here's your cat, madam." Krillin mocked a police officer given the task of rescuing a cat from a tree. Bulma giggled.

"I wondered when will you figure you can climb them… Didn't you wonder where the two glasses from the first dozen had gone? Try to guess who had broken them." She snickered. Finally, she turned to Vegeta, who was the closest person to her right. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth." He answered sternly.

"Hmmm…" She gave herself some time to think of a question. A gossipy one. "When was the first time you had sexual intercourse?" The question had haunted her ever since the two had laid together on that grass after their orgasms had come and gone. She had wondered to herself how was it possible that he had become so skillful at it when people who spent years after high school somehow managed to do even less.

"Thirteen and a half."

"With whom?"

"You have the right of one question only, woman." He grinned.

"You know it's an interesting topic; the next time you say 'truth' you're going to be asked that."

"Time shall show better." He grinned evilly. She huffed and turned away. So he didn't want to tell her even that, eh? She'd see about this one…

"My turn to ask the questions!" Juu exclaimed.

"And just why does it have to be you?" Vegeta asked her not really interested in the answer.

"Because I say so." He rolled his eyes, with a mutter that strangely resembled 'whatever'.

"Bulma: Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Right… So… Hmm… What should I ask you… Hmm, hmm, hmm… With how many boys have you slept?"

"Oh…" Bulma said slowly. "Err… It's, err, quite a number for my two-boyfriends-in-my-whole-life existence…"

"Answer the damn question." Vegeta's curiosity had piqued.

"Well, err… Seven…" Vegeta raised an eye brow. He seriously did not think she'd been with more than four guys, including himself and the worm in that number.

"Come on, share!" ChiChi exclaimed.

"Err, well, it's not something that I'm quite proud of…"

"Tell me." Vegeta insisted.

"You didn't want to say who your first was. Why should I do you the favor and give you the list of all my affairs? It doesn't really seem fair to me." The girl explained him.

"That's because it's different." The teen answered calmly, his eyes mindlessly wandering over to meet Goku's gaze for a brief second before he turned to her. "I'm going to tell you one day and you'll see. Come on now, tell me, or I'll—

"Okay, okay, just no threats!" Bulma yelled and shoved her hand underneath his nose. "Well… That's, Yamcha, Tien, who was my short-lived ninth grade affair, Keito, who was a one-night-stand after a dead-drunk party in second term of ninth grade, Taichi, the boy with whom I tried to forget about Yamcha during first term of tenth grade, Vash, a Russian whom I met on a trip to Russia for a two-month holiday with my parents, James, a guy who needed my help to get his girlfriend back as I needed Yamcha back by the time too, and you, my boyfriend. There. Satisfied? I'll rub it in that you've promised me!" She threatened.

"I had no idea you had been such a whore in disguise." He chuckled. Bulma's face flushed.

"You are definitely not the one to talk about sleeping with dozens of other people, Don Juan." She hissed defiantly at him. He nodded curtly, his face becoming smug all of a sudden at the remembrance of the 'good old days'.

"Point taken." He mumbled in content.

"Here's what I don't understand." She turned to all of her friends. "Why is it that when guys sleep with more and more girls they're considered men by their friends and when girls sleep with more than three guys in a period of an year even, they are labeled whores? What kind of discrimination is that?" She exclaimed.

"Don't worry, B. My number exceeds 10." Juu patted her friend on the shoulder.

"Have all of you begun your sex life in ninth grade at least?" ChiChi asked incredulously. She was surprised to see that even her boyfriend nodded. "You too! I thought you were a virgin the first time we were together."

"Well… I wasn't." He grinned sheepishly. She glared at him but otherwise said nothing to comment on the topic. They went back to the game. And Vegeta had chosen dare, much to Bulma and Juu's dislike. Both would've seriously liked to know who Vegeta's first had been and just why he was concealing it so feverishly.

"So, you think you're so smart and strong, huh?"

"Yup, that's what I think." Vegeta said rolling his eyes, feeling in the mood for a nice long smoke. He had not smoke in an eternity, or so it seemed to him.

"Why don't you go by that horizontal bar and give me one hundred pull-ups if you're so damn good at this?" He glance at the direction of where she was pointing and smirked at her. He did as said without saying word. He hopped up and got his hands comfortable.

"One-handed or two-handed? Second one is easier." Juu growled at his arrogance. He was still putting up the act. Even though he had some nicely shaped arms and legs and body as a whole, she didn't believe he could manage 100 pull-ups. It seemed far too far-fetched to her.

"One-handed."

And he began. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10… All in 10 or so seconds. And he continued, having Krillin and the girls' jaws drop as they watched him making pull-up after pull-up without breaking a sweat. 98, 99, 100. But he didn't stop there. He kept on and on… They couldn't stop gawking. Even though ChiChi felt aggravated by the fact he was showing off, she couldn't help herself staring. She had never witnessed someone doing something like that before.

235, 236, 237, 238, 239, 240… He wasn't stopping! He did them so fast they couldn't find time to open their mouths to tell him it was enough already. 289, 290, 291, 292, 293, 294, 295, 296, 297, 298, 299, 300. With a swift movement, he let go of the bar and landed on his two solid feet, returning to his place on the sofa.

"You were going to hate me if I continued until I could go no more…" He smirked conceitedly.

Even though all of them (except Goku, who was smiling broadly at his friend) looked thunderstruck and in complete awe, Bulma was the one who felt the most excitement surging through her. 300 pull-ups and his breathing was as normal as could be! She couldn't believe she had such an extraordinary creature as her boyfriend.

"Can _you_ do something like that?" ChiChi turned to Goku. He held his hands up in defense by the intimidating way she had turned to him.

"I prefer push ups… But I can do as many of them as Vegeta can make in pull-ups."

"Ha! You wish, you worm." The other teen exclaimed haughtily.

"Wanna bet?" Goku challenged.

"Whatever. Kakarott, let's go buy some beer. I cannot believe you have forgotten to buy some alcohol. The woman is coming of age, not becoming younger." He said as he got up and collected his board from the mansion next to the Capsule Corporation compound, both him and Goku flying down the street with a rapid speed.

"Let's go get the dishes in the sink meanwhile." ChiChi said to Bulma, and as she waited to get behind the heiress' back, she winked at Juuhachi and Krillin who nodded and retreated towards the bathroom.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Two misty figures zoomed with a marvelous speed around late shoppers in the non-stop super market. Women fixed their blouses after the violent wind had passed by them, ruffling their clothing.

Those two hurricanes were nothing else but our two trouble-makers, Goku and Vegeta. They were in search of a very special shop. An all-beer stall where they often went after practice with the whole group of hormone-driven skaters worn down by the hard work out.

"Yeeeehaaa!" The two screamed and whistled loudly as they went down a ramp for baby carts and shopping carts. They stopped abruptly in front of the stall they had been looking for. A bored looking young woman cast them a side-glance before sighing and putting on a cap.

"How may I help you?"

"Two stacks of beer, please." Goku said.

"That's going to cost you quite some—

"Money isn't a problem." Vegeta had taken out a very fat handful of bills. The girl's eyes budged out by the sight. "Just give us the best you got."

Nodding reluctantly, the girl did as told.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

After Goku and Vegeta had returned with the two stacks of beer, everyone had given in to conversations amongst themselves and pleasant teasing. It had all been very fun, especially since most of them had already had a few cans of beer. Sleep was over-powering most of them. Bulma could barely stand on her feet anymore.

Just as she was about to go to the kitchen, she felt a whole bucket of water thrown her way. And her feeling proved quite correct. She turned around, her clothes hanging on her body and her hair damp, making her look much like a drowned rat.

"What in Heaven's name was _that_ supposed to be?" She shrieked madly.

"That's for health!" Krillin explained.

"No; a glass of water is for health. Not a whole fucking bucket!"

"I suggest you go attend yourself." ChiChi said with a yawn as she leant in on Goku's chest. Bulma felt her own tiredness welcoming her again. She nodded and went for her chambers. Once she was up the stairs, she remembered and called back to her friends,

"Choose a room to stay for the night. I'll wake you all some time before school starts tomorrow and so we'll all be able to be ready." They nodded. She did too and disappeared behind her closed door.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Fifteen minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom, completely dry and without any mascara. She noticed that her bed was currently occupied and that its inhabitant was not nearly as tired as she felt.

"Took you long enough." He said unconvincingly.

"Well, I feel like my body weights a ton and every single movement causes me great effort, so you should be proud of me instead of pissing and moaning about me being slow. I'm doing my very best here, mister."

"You didn't forget I still haven't given you your present, did you?"

All of a sudden she felt a surge of life run through her and all trace of sleep evaporated in the thick air of the wintry night.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

_A/N: Read my bio. Or, like it says, you're not allowed to blame. I actually made myself sit for a good 6 or so hours and make this chapter for you... even though it may be a bit sucky... it's the best I can do right now. Next one will be even better. It will give you a little glimpse at Vegeta as the 'undistracted' self Bulma is refering to. So, yeah. Please review... It's crucial right now... Please?_


	17. Ch17: Party, Party! The Second Part

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Seventeen: Party, Party! Second Part_

_(Beta Chapter Title: Rumors)_

With a sense of circulating adrenaline in her body, the lavender haired girl swallowed dryly and made her way towards the bed. Vegeta sat up to give her some place to sit on the bed next to him. He wore a strange smirk, a very confident one. She wondered what made him so sure she would like what he took her… But then again, she actually appreciated even the fact that he had put up with her wish through the whole day. He had not been spacing out at all, and even if he was, the places of her body he had been so intently and openly stared at for minutes on end – she giggled at the thought – assured her that he was thinking about _other_ things instead of his traumatizing past.

Slowly, almost mesmerizing, she took small graceful steps towards the bed, and sat herself on the edge, looking expectantly at him. She made a quick search in her mind and found something that completely fascinated her. Even though she was rich and could have anything she could ever want, when her friends had been giving her their presents, she had been very anxious to see what was inside. Even back then when she had been dating Yamcha, every time he made her a present she just couldn't wait to open it, even though she realized that if it was something really useful she already had it, or if it was useless, she would never look at it again because of anything else but sentimentality. Bulma Briefs could do little to help her materialistic nature, being raised in such a rich family, yet never really needing from others as it would either be useless or duplicated by something she already had…

And yet, that same very moment, she sensed that she didn't really care what he got her. Make no mistake, she was flattered by the fact he remembered and even cared enough to make her a present for her most special day. But she didn't really want anything else. She wanted just to have him remember the dates that were important to her, she wanted to know he could be considerate… and she loved the fact he had fulfilled her wish. What else could she possibly want? He was all she needed… Her match, her counterpart… Her Only One…

As he watched her approach slowly as if gliding through the air and then sitting down, as if invisible wings on her back made her lighter than air, he felt a sudden surge of pride wash over him. Before the beginning of this day, when observing her perfection, he would scowl and get reminded how he tainted her innocence, her purity just by being in such a close range to her… Yet today, it was her day. He would do things, for once forgetting most of his pride that got in his way, he would 'degrade' himself to doing things her way. Just to please her… Just to see her smile for him… Just to hear her utter her thanks, or just say his name wistfully… Her voice made him feel drunk, even though he had drunk so many beers that night he had not been even slightly tipsy, but he knew that once she opened her mouth, he would be a goner.

He had no idea what had softened him so much… His mind drew back a little to the past, thinking of the times he had always been this way. Ten-year-old Vegeta… Yes… That had been the time… When he was a scared little twit… Afraid of the world and its cruelty, wondering what he had done to deserve all the things that had happened to him back then… He could find no reason… His young mind was already half-corrupt, but there had still been a small part of him that knew the light… That knew kindness and affection… He had been so small and stupid… Now all he was doing was putting a mask after every day break, praying to himself that he would have to face any more pain any longer. He was becoming so weak… It made him shatter, with each passing day of rotting loneliness in his heart, with every single time he woke up in the middle of the night, finding himself curled into a ball, feeling his pillow soaked with a salty liquid that he preferred to think was just sweat…

He slapped himself mentally. He was breaking his promise currently. He had to head to different thoughts. It wasn't really that hard as he observed his gorgeous girlfriend smile at him strangely, expectantly, and somehow self-consciously. He propped himself back onto her bed post and looked her straight in the eye. Maybe… Just maybe all this suffering had been for this moment… For the moment he would meet her and realize what she was… His match, his counter part… His _mate_…

"Well?" She couldn't wait anymore. She wanted this done with. She wanted to tell him so many things she had contained while the others were around them. She knew how much he despised being affectionate in public and she respected that. God only knew how the couples making out in public, for an instance, annoyed the Hell out of her.

He chuckled at her impatience. He couldn't blame her, really… He wanted to get to sleep so badly as well… Somehow the whole day had been so exhausting… and he had no idea why he was so drained. Must've been all the struggle of keeping his mind at bay… He had never attempted to do so before.

"You're being pushy, little one." He declared with an award-winning smirk that would have her knees wobble if she had not been seated on her bed. She thanked God she took the hint to sit.

"Oh, come on! Stop prolonging this! I want to see what you could've possibly got me. I don't really need anything…" She trailed off as she looked at him reach into that same pocket again, picking out a navy velvet box. Blue was her favourite colour. "And I don't really need any jewels, you know… I can't wear them at school and—

"Shut it, woman." He growled at her tirade. "Just open it." He tossed it to her and she easily caught it. Shrugging her shoulders lightly, she did as told and her eyes scanned the contents of the box. Her eyes lit up a bit and danced over the silver object inside.

She had no idea how he knew, but she had wanted a bracelet for so long after her last one broke apart. Bulma wasn't really known for being careful about things, and she truly had no idea how to keep her stuff, but this one was going to be special. She would keep it close, and it would have a special place in her heart. The bracelet consisted in a small lamella that had a slightly different colour from the chain. There was something engraved on it that she couldn't quite see prima vista. In each side where the lamella joined the chain there was a little blue stone – _sapphires_. They complemented the silver perfectly and didn't stick out too much. They were just perfect. The stitch of the chain was slightly curvy, feminine, yet strangely filled with some teen spirit. She smiled at it and inspected what was written on it. She flicked it slightly to the night stand where her lamp was on, its faint light by far not sufficient enough to see clearly through the dark room. _Mate_.

Her cobalt eyes looked up to glare at him. He had become more animalistic than he had been before and he was actually making her show everyone that fact? The look she was giving him made him realize that she did not really grasp the full concept of the word.

"You're mine, little one… Now and forever. My Mind mate, my counterpart, my bed-mate. You'd be lying, just as much as I would, if you say that you cannot sense the chemistry between us." He kissed her cheek as she was yet again staring at her gift. She smiled broadly at it. It was a slightly sad smile, as he had not said what she wanted the most – being his mate in mind, body and soul… But how could he possibly say it now? He didn't completely trust her yet. Hell, he didn't trust _anyone_ fully… If she wanted him to submit so easily to her the first day he tried to become normal again, or as closest to normal as she could tolerate, as she wanted him for who he was, she was just expecting a miracle. No, she couldn't want that now. She just savoured the fact that there was an undeniable 'chemistry between them'.

"It's so beautiful… Thank you!" She spoke slowly, in that same tone that he knew would make him dizzy if he listened too much of right then.

"The lamella is made of platinum, rest is silver. And, trust me when I say this, finding something to satisfy your spoilt self was a real pain in the ass. I hope I never have to do that again!" Vegeta informed her with a smirk, resting his back against the bed post again. He was so tired… If his head rested against the pillow, he would surely instantly fall asleep… Note to self, do _not_ lie down… She gaped at him. Platinum! Dear goodness gracious! She was never given such an expensive present before!

"Oh my, Vegeta!" She exclaimed as she threw herself on his neck and had them both fall onto the soft covers of her bed. "This is the most wonderful gift I have ever had for a birthday, Christmas, or whatever other celebration!" She exclaimed. She pulled herself up from him and noticed that he did not follow her lead. Instead, he just lay below her, admiring every curve of her body, as if seeing her for the first time of his life. "Oh, and, I wanted to say thank you for the way you behaved tonight. You have no idea how much this means to me." Her voice was so low and could compete with a whisper, so softly spoken. "I love y—", but she realized that saying it now of all times might ruin their moment and what they had now… So, instead, she prayed to God they had taken long enough for midnight to pass. "—yesterday so much! You gave me all I wanted!" She covered her uncertainty and nervousness behind a forced smile.

"Why 'yesterday'?" He creased an eye brow at her. She checked her bed stand watch, finding with well-hidden relief that it was, indeed as it read, 0:37.

"It's well past midnight, silly. It's already a new day!" She smiled and leant on his chest, looking somewhere in the space of her dark room, not really focused on anything but her wandering thoughts. Vegeta was a little suspicious of her words, but did not question her however. Suddenly as she had stopped talking, she began again, "My dad's right… You do are something very special…" Her present was clutched even tighter to her chest at the exact same moment.

"Special?" The words sounded so alien to him… As if it wasn't his own mouth that they were exiting… "What do you mean?"

"He never really approved of Yamcha, you know…" Vegeta grimaced at the reminder of his girlfriend's late boyfriend. "But with you… Well… He just says that there is something about you, even though you're rude, self-conceited and full of yourself," about the last one Vegeta protested with a growl; "he says that you're the most mature person for your age he has seen."

"Well then, maybe your old man is smarter than I gave him credit for."

"Hey, now that was really—

"Shh…" He shushed her, putting two fingers to her lips as she stared up at him from his chest. "Don't talk… Don't say anything…" He said as he slowly traced the lines of her facial features, leaving a heated trail behind himself.

"You're tired…" Bulma said self-consciously, for the first time that night realizing that she had only a huge shirt and her panties to cover her body after she had come out of the bathroom. Vegeta smirked at her as he pulled her face closer to his.

"Hell would freeze over before I'm too tired for you…"

And that was about the last word he said before he gave into the temptation that had been on his mind constantly during the entire day. He had wanted her so badly, yet knew he could only look and touch later. It was about time 'later' come. He would wait no longer. He wanted to be with her, for once, for real. Tonight was the night he would put up the struggle… Tonight was the only night he would put up with her every whim.

He placed his lips over her soft ones, instantly receiving just as feverish respond. He smirked against her. It turned him on just by thinking how willingly she wanted him back, right there, right then.

As his body moved in a mesmerizing rhythm against hers, the chain on his neck, present from the vixen beneath him, moved back and forth, back and forth, slamming into his collar bone, making soft clanking noises as it did so.

She got off of him, resting herself against his chest, relaxed, exhausted. He smirked at her and kissed her forehead. "If I can't walk properly tomorrow it will all be your fault!" He laughed at that.

"You'll be able to move, little one." His hand went to her middle section instinctively. He concentrated hard and she could've sworn, if she hadn't been too tired to write it off to that, that suddenly his hand had glowed in a navy light and she felt all warm inside again. She sighed in content and snuggled closer to him. "You'll be just good as new." He deduced, putting his hands behind his head, resting back, finally giving into the darkness for what he guessed would be the strongest assault of nightmares since the birth of the world since he had fought so hard against them today only to find himself surprised, just dreaming of holding the girl by his side closely.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

He woke up later, about two hours or so, only to find that his dream had not been just that, a dream. His hand was snaked around her fragile body, pulling her into his naked frame. He gently slid from under the covers and put on his boxers and pants that had been discarded on the floor. He put out a pack of cigarettes from it and his lighter, making his way towards the balcony of his sleeping angel.

As the glass door slid open, he was greeted by a slight breeze that eased his still burning senses. That woman made a fire in him burn with a fervor to envy. He had noticed the velvet box of the present he had given her on her night stand. She obviously paid extra attention for it. He smirked lightly as he cupped his hands while lighting the cigarette. Her face had lit up so much when she had seen it at first. Seemed like he hit the bull's eye with his shot in the dark. When he first saw it in the shop, the sapphires on it immediately reminded him of her. Not having the chance to forget her birthday even for a second in his week before it, having extra problems with figuring out what to get her, he had bought it immediately.

Buying women jewelry is rumored to always work like a charm. Today Vegeta had learnt the true meaning of that famous phrase. And he had to admit – it truly worked like a charm.

Yet when other women would've loved the bracelet for its cost, he knew that Bulma appreciated it for his thoughtfulness. He hadn't missed the 'I love y—' part of her words at the beginning of their night alone, but he had not indicated with anything that he took it in mind so much. After all, he did not wish to push her around too much on her birthday. Teasing was one thing, but he knew that the feelings deeps as love, devotion and affection were ones he should never pick on with someone who he actually cared for.

A smirk crossed his features as he exhaled a puff of smoke. So now he cared? But then again, when _hadn't_ he cared for her? When he first met the gang that Kakarott had spoken of so passionately over the years, the one that had truly captivated his attention had been her. True, there had been some attraction on his side towards Juuhachigou, but she was just a secondary character to him, a diversion from his true feelings…

He snorted. True feelings? And just what _were_ his true feelings towards the woman that had this day come of age? Even though he could not deny that he cared for her, wished to protect her from any harm, that he would do seemingly anything to assure her welfare… There was still something back there, in the back of his mind, in his heart, those restraints from the last time he had been hurt in the process of such passionate care. Affection was now his weakness, as he could not face it without remembrance of his time spent with Hailie. That year and a half of his life had been the happiest of his life until…

He put his cigarette out and looked at the person next to him whom the hand on his shoulder belonged, which had just landed there mere few seconds before joining him.

"Why are you up? Aren't you tired?" He asked nonchalantly. Bulma shook her head slowly.

"Well, actually, no. We all really had some fun… but I thought it was still too soon to end the night…"

"It's three in the morning." Vegeta reminded her as if she had no knowledge of reading a clock. Her fine eye brows narrowed over a pair of cyan clear eyes and the girl sent her boyfriend a heated glare that completely contrasted with the chilly air of the late autumn night.

"Yes, I am _aware_ of that." She huffed. "I'm just not tired and since we're up maybe we should do something together? You seem like you've been here in a while?" It was truly more of a question than a statement as she touched his cool arm. He shrugged his shoulders.

"No more than five minutes up before you."

"Ah well… What shall we do then?" She grinned widely, even though sleep was still obvious in her tired eyes. "I'm completely out of ideas of what to do and the fact there is some heavy aftermath of sleep upon me isn't helping any… So…" She looked expectantly at him as he lit another cigarette. Observing his movements for a minute without saying anything more and doing nothing other than breathing evenly, Vegeta's onyx eyes fixed on her again.

"What?"

"I'm out of ideas." She reminded him.

"Yes, so?" Bulma pouted at him.

"Do I always have to be so direct with you to get an answer?"

"If you want a direct answer, you have to question straight to the point." He exhaled a small cloud of greyish smoke from his nose. "So you want me to tell you where we should go?" Bulma's eye brows rose in question. "What, you thought we'd stay here for the night too? If you want to party so badly, there are plenty of places to go and do so." He explained evenly, looking off somewhere in the night.

"So, where do we go?"

Vegeta shot her a slightly baffled look. He had particularly just told her what to do and let her choose which club she liked most and she still didn't catch on? Or maybe she wasn't really that well introduced to street and night life? The second was far more probable. The question still stood, however. Where should they go?

"I heard there's a new club I haven't yet been to downtown. Maybe we should go and see if the rumors are true." He smirked.

"Rumors? What rumors?" Bulma blinked confused. She had been introduced to the rumor and gossip mill at a very young age, being born in a rich family. Yet the rumors in school and the rumors the press created about her and her family were completely different when compared to the other.

"The rumors that it's a really wild place, of course." Vegeta smirked at her way again. She sweatdropped. That coming from him sounded truly chilling, to say the least… "But it would be such a waste if only we attend to it. It may be your day, but your gang of buffoons has come today to respect that special day of yours. Maybe we should go fetch them too?" He all but suggested.

"That's a nice idea! Let's go wake them!"

x.x.x.x.x **Five and a half minutes later…** x.x.x.x.x

"_GAH!_" The raven-haired girl jumped up from her sleep on the comfy bed, looking down at her garments. "What's the big idea? What do you want to do, kill me?" She screeched, but it didn't matter since the others were already wide awake and just as drenched as she was. Her clothes were clinging desperately to her body as if she was a life boat to a drowning man. Bulma grinned mischievously at her friend with a cat-like gleam in her eyes.

"That's what you deserve for what you did to me earlier, you creeps! Bulma Briefs' revenge, haha!" She looked rather triumphant and was, yet again, supposed to be intimidating, but, as we said, again she failed to appear so to her friends who could only sweatdrop at her moment of insanity, as they would most probably call it if asked. However, Bulma's little moment of triumph lasted no more than a few seconds as ChiChi's short temper got the better of her as well.

The rest of the gang watched in slight awe how the two girls wrestled each other in an odd cat-fight, hair, limbs and curses tangled in a mess. Each female pulled the other down in order to gain the upper hand. Even though throughout their childhoods ChiChi had always been the better at fighting, this time Bulma didn't give in as easily.

"Shouldn't we… err… I don't know, stop them… or something?" Krillin asked while putting on an old shirt of Dr. Briefs' which Bulma had provided for him even before she poured the water all over them. Vegeta shrugged at the suggestion.

"Let them go. They look like they could use some tension release." He informed the bald smaller boy. Goku patted Krillin's back in a friendly manner, trying to assure him the two would never get too deep with the fighting.

"What the hell are you doing, ChiChi! What's come over you! Will you just drop it, we're wasting time!" Bulma screeched as she tried to block ChiChi's wrists from escaping her grasp, but the other girl shoved her off and continued wrestling Bulma's feet which were eager to protect their possessor.

"I'll tell you what I'm doing, missy! You've needed a good spanking for some time now!"

"Chi! That sounded _so_ sick!"

"So what do _I_ care, huh? Was it my fault you accused me and the whole gang that we didn't, what was it, 'pay you enough attention' when we were getting all this shit done! What does that speak about your trust in others? It says you're conceited as ever, not to mention _blind!_" At that exact moment the raven haired girl pulled hard on Bulma's lavender tresses, making her cease all movement.

Breathing hard, the other girl got off her friend and stared at the empty space between them.

"Chi, look, it was just a joke—"

"It's not the water, B!" ChiChi snapped back. "You doubted me. _Me_, of all people! We grew up together… Who did you go to when you felt all lonely and confused? Who did you call to make you laugh when you thought the world would crumble? Whose lap did you cower into when thunder would strike in the sky and scare your ten year old self? Who cooked for you occasionally when your parents were away? And then what does that same person get when there's a bit of a shake in the relationship? Mistrust? Doubt? I thought for all those years you learnt at least _one thing_ about me, Bulma Briefs…"

By that time, Bulma was done staring idiotically into the nothingness. Her eye brows furrowed mostly with anger at herself for ever distrusting her best friend.

"Look what, ChiChi. You know how stressed I get when my birthdays come up. It's just a part of me! And on top of that, instead of being that same person you were talking about just a minute ago and let the others do some more work while you go and fool me around and feed me nonsense so I don't get suspicious, sorry guys," she interjected when she saw the hurt expressions the others gave her, "_knowing you_, you probably took the command and started ordering them around, wanting to do most of the job! Am I not correct?" ChiChi grinned nervously at that. "See? So I _did_ learn a thing or two about you for so many years. But through all those aforementioned years, you didn't pick up one thing."

"What's that?" The other girl blinked innocently.

"To stop with the melodramas over every single little thing!" Bulma shrieked at her and got to her feet, dusting her clothes from imaginary dust. "Now will you _please_ get changed so we can go already?"

"Go where?" Juu cut in while Goku helped ChiChi up.

"Clubbing, of course!" Bulma winked at her friend.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Tell me again, why are we going to a club at 3 in the morning?" ChiChi groaned even though she loved the fact she finally got herself an occasion to sneak in Bulma's walk-in wardrobe and pick whichever outfit she wanted. The heiress sighed in exasperation. All her friends had chorused the same phrase over and over again for the past ten minutes. She was getting sick of answering the same damn thing over and over again and planned on writing it on a sign and putting it up whenever they asked again.

"Because, ChiChi, we started quite late with the party and I'm still not tired enough to go to sleep, so, we're going to see this new club, have fun a few hours and then we go our separate ways towards our beds. Anything else?" Her voice became more annoyed with each syllable that passed her lips.

"Yeah, I have a test tomorrow…" Krillin moaned in despair. Juu glared at him. He was always such a wuss…

"I'll skip my Science and enter in your class and take that test for you, okay?" Bulma groaned as her friends' whims were getting really exasperating. Had she thought about what time of the day it was, she would've realized it was only natural, since all teens had got really little bit of rest for the whole night and it seemed they weren't going to get any tonight either.

"You'd do that for me? Really?" Krillin's eyes gleamed. Bulma rolled her sapphire orbs.

"Sure, whatever to make you shut up."

"I swear you and that rotten bastard behind the wheel spend _far_ too much time together. He's rubbing hard off on you." ChiChi remarked, trying to get a bit more comfortable in Goku's lap. "And I still can't believe we fitted in here."

"Well then you should be thankful that "that rotten bastard's" car is quite spacious and convertible. Otherwise you'd have to have that drunken boyfriend of yours drive you to the club." Vegeta remarked without taking his eyes off the road for a moment's worth. ChiChi's eye brows narrowed.

"You drank just as much, you—"

"That should tell you how much of a wimp he actually is. Can't take a few beers, ha!" Vegeta mocked, knowing full well that even sober Goku would never be able to retaliate to his insults, yet having an extremely great time seeing his poor best friend nearly out cold on the back seat, with his harpy jumping around in his lap with her bad short temper.

"What did you just say!" ChiChi was close enough to gripping at Vegeta's shoulder and shaking him violently but Bulma blocked her hand's path with a menacing glare of her own.

"Will you settle down already? And it's the second time you refer to my precious as a rotten bastard!" Vegeta laughed audibly at the 'precious' remark on his address. People who were not used to couple of hours sleep a night were so amusing… "If you do that again, I'd be _very_ tempted to give you a piece of my mind!" Bulma shook a pale skinned fist ChiChi's way. As we have already said countless times, something as fragile-looking and with such a childish face still could never seem intimidating even to an ant. However, the shaken fist did earn ChiChi's attention in a different way.

"Say, what's that?" The raven haired girl snatched Bulma's wrist and pulled it towards herself, making the heiress groan in disapproval as her shoulder joint endured a large amount of pressure from the angle her arm had been twisted. Forced by her body's needs, Bulma had to move around in her seat so ChiChi wouldn't break her arm in excitement.

"What's what?" The lavender haired girl asked a bit out of breath. ChiChi could be a real bitch without even knowing what she was doing…

"This!" ChiChi pulled Bulma's jacket's long sleeve up to expose the silver bracelet. Juu gasped and nearly threw poor Krillin off her lap as she also latched onto Bulma's wrist. You see, the main idea was for the boys to have the girls in the backseats in their lap, but seeing as Juu's partner was quite… err… handicapped when he had been growing, it was a wiser idea for Krillin to be in Juu's lap. "Take a look at this, Juu! Looks like real sapphires!" ChiChi exclaimed as she fingered the bracelet with such tenderness that, had Goku been sober, would feel a slight pinch of envy.

"No way, I've seen those only on pictures!" The other female exclaimed, her eyes beaming.

"I envy Bulma for the fortune she has…" ChiChi's voice trailed off.

"Err… I didn't buy that one myself, guys…" Bulma cleared, her cheeks reddening slightly. The girls both let go of her wrist and she returned to her place in the passenger's seat, her face forward on the road as well. She heard ChiChi mutter something to which Juu nodded vigorously as well.

"I wish Goku would buy such stuff for me too…"

Bulma felt her lips tilting upwards gently in a slight smile. Her eyes, alien even to herself, darted to the rear mirror and she could've sworn that – even for a part of the second – she had seen a smile dance on Vegeta's lips as well…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"The Setting Sun?" Krillin felt his eye brow twitch.

"That's the cheesiest name for a club I've ever heard…" Juu remarked darkly. Goku just grinned.

"It's still open, isn't it?" Vegeta snapped, trying to make his way through the crowd.

"Yeah, and there's a huge line that probably goes back to _my_ house…" ChiChi noted.

"Just _shut up_… I'll go to the front. Stay here until I call you." And with that he disappeared in thin air. Or more like in thick crowd…

ChiChi's arms seemed like they crossed by themselves.

"So now we're just supposed to stay here and wait for him? What makes him so sure he knows the bouncer? Dumb aloof bastard…" The raven haired girl threw her long let-loose tresses over her shoulder. Her boyfriend still just grinned.

"Erm, well, he _does_ have a lot of serious connections around the city after all…" Bulma stated not quite assured her self.

"Yeah, so I heard too." Juu remarked. ChiChi blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he's not only a skater. Not by a long shot… Skating doesn't bring any profits when there are no competitions and when snow falls… I've heard rumors he does street racing too."

"So that was what the flashy sports car was for…" Krillin muttered. His blonde friend just nodded.

"He attends street fights also… I've heard he takes some part time jobs as well… All in all, I just _wonder_ how he learnt all that shit about school he knows! If I had that kind of graphic, I'd go nuts!"

"It's only rumors anyway!" ChiChi defended, not wanting to think that Vegeta was a busier and more responsible of a person than her dear Goku. Yet could she only open her eyes wide, she'd see that, even despite the fact Vegeta was stubborn, arrogant and bad tempered, but even though those facts he was all in all a very serious person when it came to vital things – about his life, about the people he cared for… But ChiChi couldn't really know that one, for Vegeta would never care about _her_.

Bulma listened half-heartedly to the conversation of her friends, a little too engulfed in the whispering around her. Her expression was getting more morbid by the second…

"Did you see that?"

"Wasn't that this Vegeta Ouji guy?"

"Haven't seen him in an eternity!"

"Did you hear he has a _girlfriend_ now?"

"Yeah, right! More like another fling if you ask me!"

"I wonder how many times he already screwed her."

"A relationship with Ouji that's not physical? Hell would freeze over before that…"

Bulma felt her hands shaking in attempt to calm her self down. But the only thing she achieved was to let those venom seeping words get to her brain and seed a small doubt there, which ate on her mind with each passing second. Was she another _fling_? After all, "a relationship with Ouji that wasn't physical" was impossible.

"Hey!" Goku suddenly came to life. "Look! It's Rain! Hey, Rain, wait!" And with that, his ecstatic self disappeared in the crowd as well, his ears deaf to his girlfriend's calls for him to return.

"Geez, no one listens to me tonight! He wouldn't come to himself even when I _sit in his lap_, but he's all jumpy when he sees this Rain person – what kind of name is 'Rain' anyway! – and just takes off without saying a word? The nerve!"

"Hey losers!" They heard Vegeta's voice holler from the front. "Get your asses here! We're going in!"

The last Bulma could remember before her ears began throbbing with pain from the blaring speakers was that someone grabbed her by her elbow and pulled her inside.

x.x.x.x.x.x

"Where's Kakarotto?" Vegeta asked the bald boy that barely reached his chest before they entered the blaring club.

"Err, if I'm not mistaking, he yelled something about raining and took off after you." Vegeta's composure obviously tensed.

"He went after Rain, did he?"

"Er, yeah, that's the one." Krillin grinned nervously. Having an angry Vegeta so near your self is quite a dangerous thing. Yet, to his utter bliss, the taller teen just snorted and retorted,

"If he went after Rain, then we don't need to wait for him. He'll get in on his own…"

x.x.x.x.x.x

Raining? It wasn't raining, and there was not a single cloud in the sky. He could clearly see all the stars in the heavens. And then it hit him. His jaw line tightened, he clenched his fists. So, stupid Kakarotto went to see that fucking bastard Rain, eh? Fine by him. If it was Rain he preferred, Rain he was going to get…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Did you hear, did you hear?"

"Did you see him? Just as dreamy as ever!"

"I'd jump him the second I saw him, I swear!"

"I heard that bitch he's dating right now has some really sucky temper. I wouldn't do that if I was you…"

"Oh? I heard that he was dating this rich wench, Bulma Briefs or what-was-her-face…"

"Are you sure she's a _female_?" A sinister voice snickered.

"Not sure. But his _boy_friend Goku Son is here too! I hear they shared _a ride_." Another sinister voice snickered.

"What's with the crude jokes, you guys?"

"Didn't you know of Ouji's past?"

"Know what?"

"He hadn't been in touch with a girl before he turned thirteen!"

"Yeah, and then I heard that he had some sort of phobia from girls, ohh!"

"I know from a certain source that his first time sucked major ass."

"The gal he screwed was a whore, that's what I heard."

"Didn't he rape her?"

"No way. He didn't have the guts to punch someone, not to mention to get properly turned on!" Another crude laugh.

"So what? He was just thirteen! You said it yourself!"

"That didn't mean his hormones didn't already work properly."

"He was surrounded by guys!"

"I've heard some even fought over him! Hahaha!"

"He had a favourite though!"

"Some guy… It was a weird name… Pain? Nah… Um, Shane? No, no, wait, it was Rain! Yeah, that's the one!"

"Rain? He's quite popular himself!"

"So you're saying Vegeta's homo!"

"No way. More like bi!"

"Yeah. After that last steady girlfriend of his stabbed his back when she slept with someone else he became a real Don Juan! Man, he stole _my_ girlfriend, damn him!"

"Mine was all over him too, even though he just fucked her brains out and left her!"

"Heard he just wanted to get back at that Hailie gal or whatever."

"How idiotic…"

"What are you doing?" Bulma looked up with her eyes that were open very wide, her brain devouring every single word that passed by her ears from her surrounding, yet all talking ceased once the object of the badmouthing came in earshot. Vegeta stood towering above her, a drink in his hand. She was sitting all alone on the table that she and her closest friends had resided over the last half an hour, yet all of them had two by two went to the dance floor and basically have already given in to the wave of the music.

Vegeta had no idea what angered him more. The fact that _his_ girlfriend was sitting alone on a stupid table in the club that _she_ had wanted to come to and have fun, or that he didn't miss the way the different colours of the projectors in the club reflected in her eyes in many broken fragments instead of one whole reflection… Almost… As if it was torn by water… And water was his keyword.

"I…" She began, but didn't find the voice to say anything. He surely heard what was being said about him. He was probably already upset with her for listening to those stupid rumors. None of them were even true! People were just jealous and in their little haste to judge others that had it better than them they made weird and twisted stories about those people so that they could ruin their good image. But then again, she was angry with herself for even listening! She didn't want to hear this! She preferred to hear the truth from him, and whenever he wanted to tell it to her.

"Listening to the rumor mill?" He sat heavily on the seat across from her and took a huge swing from his drink.

"Didn't you drink enough for the night already?" She snapped.

"What, are you afraid of what I might do if I get drunk?" She froze. Vegeta just shook his spiky-haired head. "Come on, woman. You're going to tell me those buffoons around here made you doubt me? That's hilarious. You know I'd never lay a finger on you in intention to hurt you…"

"Um… Yes… That I do…"

"Hey, Vegeta!" The two heard a familiar voice yell through the crowd, making his way towards the couple. A tired Goku appeared before their baffled eyes moments later, holding a hand to his chest, trying to relax his laboured breathing. "Vegeta, you're never going to guess who I saw! Rain's here, Vegeta! Let's go say hi!" The boy tried to pull his friend up, but was shoved off not even a second afterwards.

"I will do no such thing, you idiot! Go say hi yourself!" He spat back, straightening his sleeveless black shirt.

"And now, for our special guest for tonight and our favourite Skater Boy, Destiny's Child with "Lose My Breath"!" The DJ said through the microphone. A wicked grin spread on Vegeta's face when he heard the announcement.

"Well, woman, I think that's our call."

"Call?" Bulma repeated stupidly, glimpses of her old character shining like a beam in the night after the shock of hearing a name that she had heard just a second ago from the so-called 'rumor mill', as Vegeta referred to all those idiots with no personal lives whatsoever.

"Yeah, it's my favourite song! I say we go and show those losers who's Vegeta Ouji and how much of a 'bad temper' his girlfriend has." He pulled her up not leaving a place for refusal.

"Errr, we are?" She started to feel major stupid. That didn't sound like her self at all! This rumor thing was seriously messing with her head! And just look at what she had in her hands! Um… Or more like what had her in his arms… Anyway… The best skater, most intelligent boy after her and the most handsome being she had ever laid eyes on, the most multitalented person she had ever met and she was getting upset over _rumors_! How stupid was she anyway!

"Come on, the other losers are already rocking up the stage over there. Our turn to enter the picture."

Bulma was still a bit uncertain about the whole thing, but once Vegeta began swinging her around with such ease and grace to be envied for, all her worries washed away completely. After all, wasn't it her who pleaded him to forget his problems, whatever they were, for this one night? True, she thought the night had ended before the club thing, but the fact it prolonged didn't mean that she had the right to break her side of the deal…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The gang stood on the same table a couple of hours later.

"Man, I'm drained…" Krillin sighed, resting his head back against the cushion chair.

"Yeah, me too… I feel like a thousand bucks…" Juu let out barely audible above the blaring music.

"Excuse me? What do the thousand bucks have to do with this?" ChiChi wondered aloud.

"Nothing, I guess. I'd just like to have that much so that someone could carry me home…" ChiChi rolled her eyes at the retort she had received.

"Right…" The raven haired girl muttered sarcastically.

"Let's get you idiots to your beds. It's no use staying any longer if you find breathing a hard task." Vegeta said, collecting Bulma in his embrace.

"What's with B?" Goku said, glancing over the shorter boy's shoulder at the spaced out heiress, or so he thought.

"She already passed out, you fool." Vegeta hissed. "Get going. I don't have a whole day to wait for you!" And with that he took off, opening the front gate with a swift kick. ChiChi watched after him with irritation. She had had enough of his temper for one night, definitely.

"In translation from Vegeta-ish, that means, "Please, hurry, I'm tired as well"." Goku explained casually, with the casual grin too. Juu sweatdropped at him.

"You know him quite well, don't you?"

"Definitely!" The happy-go-lucky boy beamed. No more than a few seconds passed and he yawned widely. "I say we go before he really takes off without waiting for us." The others just nodded reluctantly, already dreaming of their beds at home, comfy, inviting…

"Wait a second… He won't make us walk home from Capsule Corporation, will he?" ChiChi asked rhetorically, dread obvious in her voice.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Does that answer your question?" Goku asked her a few minutes later when they dropped his girlfriend at the Mau household. The girl just avoided looking at the car and more specifically to the driver.

"Um… So… Errr…" The fiery girl stuttered, her voice hoarse.

"I suggest you just go to bed, wench." Vegeta said, his head colliding with the back of his seat. "And don't try pulling any stunts like getting up for school today, it's useless. Just go get some sleep. You sure look like you need some." He grinned wickedly at the rear view mirror. ChiChi didn't fluster in anger. She couldn't find the strength in her drained body to perform such an action. She just snorted at his words.

"Thanks. You look like shit yourself, Your Highness." Vegeta chuckled at that, but didn't lift his head from the head rest of his seat. ChiChi sighed. She saw it now, Goku was right. Even though the bastard wished to act tough, she could clearly see it now too; his reserve power was running really low. "Whatever, shrimp. See you Wednesday at school."

"Yeah, whatever."

With that he sped off down the streets. ChiChi let out another heavy sigh. It was odd to her how she, of all people, the one that was supposed to understand others the most, needed her boyfriend to explain Vegeta's actions so she really saw through his intentions… Usually she was the understanding one, yet when blinded by her rage towards the certain teen, she lost her humanity somewhere along the lines… That wasn't good… Not good at all… But she would let the matter rest for now. If Bulma understood the bastard he didn't need _her_ to do so too…

With that thought in mind, she dragged her feet toward her salvation. God only knew her back agonized right that instant…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Vegeta laid the sleeping girl lightly on her satin sheets, as if she was a breakable object and climbed off from the opposite side of the bed, steadying himself slowly on his extended hands. He watched her sleep for a long minute. The gentle heaving of her chest mesmerized him in his drugged-like state he already found himself in. His eyes were heavy with sleep. He was completely drained, but he had made it… He had made her day special… He hadn't thought at all about his past, his mistakes, and his ghosts for the whole day. He hadn't even shown any obvious turmoil at the mentioning of that bastard's name in his face whatsoever either. Truth told he was proud with his own stamina. Yet he knew that in the end, he had just done it on autopilot… And out of stubbornness… But that didn't matter, as long as he didn't break his promise, did it?

He had dropped all her friends at their respective houses, he hadn't woken her up in the process of carrying her to her room, he had been careful to drive as safely as possible without taking any sharp turns as not to bump her head in the window and wake her up… He sighed painfully. The whole day had drained him, both physically and mentally.

Now all he had to do was park the car in his garage, drag his feet up the stairs and surrender to the sweetness of his soft bed that awaited to give a release to his aching spine that was outworked from the day's events, already giving in to sweet surrender itself. He stood there, however, unable to tear his eyes from his princess, his fairy from the magic tale…

'Truce over, woman…' His mind gave an agonizing sigh after that thought and the fact that his body collapsed next to her on the bed didn't even register in his mind before he shut off from the world.

Whether he passed out from exhaustion from all the dancing, bed activities before that or from the strain of keeping his mind of things that have haunted him for as long as he could remember would be beyond all of us… And that those things attacked him the instant his eyes closed too… A pitiful fact, indeed…

"Mmm… Vegeta-a-a-a…" A raspy voice moaned from next to him and the girl turned around in a vigorous dream, searching for her loved one's warmth and, even though still deep asleep, finding with relief what she was looking for right next to her.

And not much later, those evil thoughts and memories were chased away by a watchful Cerberus… But was it really that hideous of a beast? Well, to those aforementioned monsters, it might've been… But we all know that Vegeta's little guardian angel was always next to him in time of need…

The question was, would _he_ find out before it was too late?

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

_A/N: **This is the cut version of the chapter. To receive the lemon-included one, state you wish to have it in your review and leave an email address to mail it to. Thank you for your attention.**_


	18. Ch18: Blow Away

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Eighteen: Blow Away…_

On her first morning as an eighteen year old, the main thing she felt and which blinded all her senses was a splitting head ache. If being an adult felt like that all the time, she would probably wish to be a child again every day from then to the rest of her life. As she attempted to sit up and only had all her blood rush to her head all of a sudden making her feel as if she was hit with a heavy object in the back of her head, she just lay down and looked around the premise she was residing. The last thing she remembered from yesterday was the thought of how flexible her multifunctional boyfriend was while they finished their song on the dance floor… Then he had led her to their table where she sat down and just rested her eyes for a bit and… well, that was about all of her memories. She felt like kicking herself. Vegeta had been no less tired than her, yet she made him carry her all the way to her bedroom? She tried to reason with her inner self that it was, after all, her birthday and it happened only once a year and that she'd try to be more reasonable next time. That idea seemed to ease her conscience and gave room for her train of thought to head in a different direction, wondering where her prince could be, since the other half of her huge bed looked slept in.

Staring at her ceiling for a few minutes, reminiscing the previous night, Bulma felt mixed feelings towards it… On one hand, Vegeta had been perfect. No, he had been more than perfect. He had held down on to his promise to her, the word he gave her, and didn't let himself drift off in thought even when she did. But then again, she had heard awful things about her picture perfect lover, and had a hard time imagining any of them true, yet oddly could still apply them nicely to fit her counterpart's character… What horrified her was that some things seemed obviously, painfully true…

With a heavy sigh, the girl pushed herself up in the bed, letting her head adjust a bit to the change of position. Maybe she had had a few too many alcoholic drinks as well as beers at home yesterday night… She noted to herself never to repeat it ever again. Getting up and walking (more like dragging herself like a zombie would) over to her bathroom, Bulma shut herself off to the world in the late afternoon hours, making a mental note to bug her friends for a refreshing hang out after exiting…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Nearly two hours after initially falling asleep (more like passing out in unconsciousness because of the complete exhaustion of the body), the teen woke up to the numerous shafts of light that pierced through his closed eyes and stirred his sleep rudely, interrupting a blissful dreamless slumber. Supporting himself on his hands, the spiky-haired boy looked around, still unaware of his surroundings but quite sure that _his_ room didn't have navy thick curtains that blocked the sun rays. And soon enough, he recognized the dozing figure curled on the other half of the bed to be his girlfriend that had recently reached adulthood. He would've smirked had not the phrase that exited his lips the night before he fell asleep reached him before that. Their truce was over; he was exhausted and could no longer fight himself. Even if she _made_ him promise to act like that again today, he would refuse and under no conditions would she be able to coax him into it _ever_ again… It was a fight far tiring that a sparring session with Kakarotto and more painful than a full-power kick in the nuts. He sighed heavily and made his way towards the door that led towards the exit of the compound and he left the room with one lingering glance towards the sleeping female.

Closing the thick wooden door behind his frame, Vegeta looked over the railing of the second floor where his lover's room was located down to the living room hall, hearing quite a commotion for such an early morning, not to mention it was only Tuesday. Slowly descending the steps, he noticed that it was indeed the woman's parents that were having a party or celebration of some sort. Had he not been still sleepy and overall tired and not really a morning person (he didn't want to make her parents hate him so early in their relationship); he would've at least gone to check out what they were doing, or what they were celebrating. But considering the previously mentioned facts, he had no enthusiasm in such activities whatsoever and just headed towards his salvation, but before he managed to save himself, the shrill loud voice of Bulma's ditzy mother reached his still sensitive in the morning ears.

"Why, good morning there, young Vegeta. Would you like to have some pancakes with us?" She mentioned towards the kitchen, where Vegeta found his mistake in thinking that herparent_s_ were celebrating. Her mother was in a hyper mode, chirping and singing and what not, while her father, ever the intelligent and composed Dr. Briefs stroked his cat and waved absent-mindedly at the youth from the kitchen table, obviously having himself roughly shoved out of bed by his overreacting and ecstatic wife. The boy chuckled lightly but shook his head at the hostess.

"No, thank you, Mrs. Briefs. I think I'll just move back to my house for the time being. God only knows how desperately I need a shower." He responded politely continuing onwards to the door, gripping at the door handle before the woman called back to him again.

"Oh, but dear, we have so many bathrooms here. I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem for Bulma if you use one and wait for her before she wakes up." The blonde grinned widely, missing the menacing way Vegeta's polite mask cracked as his dark eye brows narrowed dangerously over his eyes, a clear sign of approaching explosion if not treating the situation well enough.

Dr. Breifs, who had been the one to deal with Vegeta's temper while waiting for the mansion next to their house to be sellable, had been utterly amazed by the 'willpower' the boy showed with such a polite clean way to slip out of the house, not to mention with the information that had once leaked from Bulma that the boy was anything but a morning person. So when he saw the danger approaching, he decided to jump in the conversation, before the temperamental boy woke his daughter up.

"Now, now, that's all great honey, but I'm sure the young man has to," 'Think fast, think fast, old man!' Dr. Briefs told himself, "go catch up with his morning work out." Vegeta blinked a few times stupidly while Mrs. Briefs just cocked her head to the side.

"But I'm sure half an hour more or less won't do much of a difference, would it?" Her head turned towards the boy who was still staring blankly at the old man. Before he could realize what he was doing, he flashed the old man a content smirk for the perfectly come up excuse and the best done save from his temper he had ever encountered.

"I'm already an hour late, ma'am."

"Oh, goodness. Then you should go, I guess. We would hate to ruin your routine!" She waved at Vegeta as the boy exited the room, throwing Dr. Briefs a devilish grin upon doing so before he lifted a hand up in the air with the back of his palm towards them and then disappearing behind the closed door. Bulma's father shuddered involuntarily. "That boy sure is something, darling, isn't he?" His wife commented as she returned to the kitchen. Dr. Briefs gulped.

"Yeah… Truly something he is indeed."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

As Vegeta strode down the fresh mowed lawn of the Capsule Corporation front yard over to the fence where he threw himself over to his own front yard, he noticed the tiny droplets of water on the blades of fragile grass beneath him. It had been a cold night then… He breathed in deeply, inhaling the scent of freshness that was rare in the city's limits. This was one thing he was quite thankful for – living in the outskirts of the town, away from fan girls and somewhere no one could follow him. Well, for the second there was a more particular reasoning, but we'll cover on that later on…

Slamming the front door behind him to have Kakarot aware of his presence if the goon was awake yet, the spiky-haired teen continued inside towards his spacious kitchen for a few bowls of cereal and whatever was left from other breakfasts. He was starved and if there was nothing to eat, he'd gladly bake Kakarotto for lunch. Though the goof would probably taste sinewy because of the muscle mass that he had adopted throughout his whole life, Vegeta would cope with it… Hunger didn't ask…

"Hey, Vegeta!" He was greeted by the person in question as soon as his foot was set upon the kitchen floor. Goku was currently baking some bread on the toaster. Or at least that was what he thought he was doing, as the other teen saw clearly that the device's cable was not plugged. "You're up early today! How'd you sleep?"

"Considering I was as far away from your snoring so I wouldn't hear a faint tone of it, it was one of my best naps ever." Vegeta remarked sarcastically, completely in a great mood for some Goku bashing. Yet the fool was as gullible as ever, absolutely missing the point in the other boy's words, seeing things in them that weren't there in the first place…

"I knew that if I let you sleep at Bulma's you'd feel much better than if you came home! Her bed is so nice and comfy and soft and—"

"Whatever…" The other guy cut him off, checking what was in the fridge left for him, his verbally aggressiveness evaporating in thin air as soon as it had met Goku's stone wall of imbecility… It was hopeless and he should've known from the start. Picking verbally on that fool and expecting a lash back was like poking a beheaded bird to go fly back in the sky. "What the hell are you _doing_, you buffoon? That thing isn't even _on_! Why are you staring at it like that?" He finally snapped while snatching a gallon of milk from the refrigerator.

"Well, you've told me before when I nearly burnt down the apartment," Vegeta sweatdropped at the memory, "that I should be more careful with this toaster, because it is especially fast and powerful and that if I leave it on for too long it might cause a fire. And, it's on, see." He pointed the fact that he had inserted the bread slices in the toaster and they were currently being baked. Or at least that was what he thought they were doing. And they were probably doing it for some time now… Vegeta rolled his onyx eyes, snatching an armful of cereal boxes and made his way towards the living room, where he could eat in front of the TV. Not that he would really watch something, but anything was a better company than Kakarotto. He threw a last fleeting glance at the goon who was staring eagerly at the toaster, as if truly expecting his toast to jump out of the device some time soon…

Half an hour later, Vegeta came back to the kitchen to dispose of the empty boxes of cereal and to look for something that would fill him up a bit more. What he found in the kitchen, or more like what he didn't find, made him stare for a few seconds before resuming his activities. He expected the idiot to at least move, or eat something else while waiting for the toaster. But instead of that he saw Goku still crouched over the bar plot by the wall, staring at the toaster, still waiting like a tiger for his prey… Shaking his unruly haired head, the teen proceeded towards the fridge and snatched some pancakes, leftovers from yesterday's breakfast, miraculously not eaten back then frankly said…

'He's just _standing there_… I can't believe he's _just standing there_, staring at that thing, completely oblivious it will _never_ bake his bread. What an imbecile… Serves him right! Like I even care if he gets the cramps for standing there all day like the idiot he is…' The arrogant teen exited the kitchen, only to poke his head inside again a few seconds later, seeing the still Goku by the bar plot not moving even an inch.

"A-a-a-any time now!"

'I can't believe I'm doing this.' Vegeta thought to his self as he approached the fridge again, by which was the plug for the toaster. 'His idiocy must be highly contagious by now… There is no other explanation.' With a swift movement the sleepy Goku missed, the plug was inserted in the contact.

"What's wrong? It's glowing red! Oh, man, should I get some water before it gets dangerous!" The other boy panicked, and then looked at Vegeta strangely. "Say, what are you doing here again? Forgot something?"

"The juice." His friend explained calmly upon exiting the room. Goku cocked his head to a side. Shouldn't he have carried the juice in his hand if it was what he wanted? A second after the thought passed through his head, a pair of freshly baked bread slices popped up from the machine.

"Whee!" The other boy jumped up a few feet in joy. Hearing the idiot's called of glee, Vegeta assured himself that his motives to assist that buffoon in distress was because if he got any cramps his snoring would be worse than intolerable and uncontrollable…

A few minutes later he had Goku join him on the spacious sofa in front of the TV with a large table where they placed their breakfasts, snacking on various things together… just like in the old days. Vegeta smirked to himself as he dug in his cereal again. Yeah… Just like in the old days…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

As soon as he put the dishes back in the sink, he headed down for his work out and just to pass time until someone decided it would be the perfect timing to bug the daylights out of him and annoy him to no end… He was unusually grumpy today and he still had no idea why… But he had a few hours ahead of himself to find that out…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Bulma brushed her hair in front of her vanity mirror while her phone rang again for the umpteenth time already. She was getting really late, but she could hardly find herself caring. A girl of her caliber had to take good care of her self before appearing in public. She giggled at the mere thought. Yeah, right, more like annoy the hell out of her friends before waltzing in to them. When the irritating sound got too loud to tolerate, she picked up the phone, instantly greeted by ChiChi's screech.

"How long do you actually take to get ready!"

"Is Vegeta annoyed enough for me to appear about now?" Her friends had told her to come to a café near Capsule Corp more than half an hour ago and she was still putting her finishing touches to her appearance, as if she was going for Grammy's or something…

"Er, Vegeta's not with us, Bulma." She heard Goku yell from somewhere beside ChiChi.

"You heard that?" Her friend asked her clearly from the phone receiver. The lavender haired heiress' perfectly and freshly plucked eye brows narrowed over her cobalt gaze.

"I damn well did, but why isn't he there? I though you said all of you are over there!" The girl snapped defensively.

"Well, all of us _except_ Vegeta. There, happy now?" ChiChi lashed back, making Bulma roll her eyes in irritation as she fixed her top.

"ChiChi! Ask him why!" Her raven haired friend released a very heavy and irritated sigh, but she still heard the girl ask her boyfriend faintly,

"Goku, why isn't he here?"

"Well, when I went to the basement to tell him we're all going out he told me fuck off. I told him that we were going to have fun all together he told me he's not interested in wasting his time for training on, what was it, wait, wait, I'll remember it… Um… Yeah, those pathetic and utterly annoying excuses for humans who just love irritating and bugging him, I think… Um, and that's when his last drop of tolerance for me for the day exceeded, his talkativeness evaporated and he began cursing me and throwing stuff towards me… Err… And, well, that's about when my self-defense instinct kicked in and I ran off before he could actually aim correctly. And, yeah, that's about the last time I've seen Vegeta today."

"Sounds to me like someone got up on the wrong side of the bed…" Bulma heard Juu comment after Goku's explanation.

"Or the wrong bed…" She muttered to herself when ChiChi put the phone back to her ear.

"Well, you heard the man. Now get your ass over here, we're talking about yesterday! You have to tell me what shy boy told you after you two locked yourselves up in that bedroom of yours!" She giggled mischievously. Bulma smiled lightly before answering.

"Sorry to make you wait guys, but I think I'll go check what's up with Vegeta before I join you, okay?" She heard ChiChi's groan loud and clear.

"Fine! Drag him over as fast as you can."

"Bye, Chi." She put the phone down, making her way over to Vegeta's place. Let him say all those things he said to Goku in _her_ face! The nerve of that guy!

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

A knock on the door brought Vegeta out of his berserk state of mind and body. His head whipped towards the door of the basement, his not-so-secret working out place, which dangerously resembled a gym. He had made it in his previous living quarters in order not to visit those public gyms, as the rumor would most likely spread immediately and he would have no peace wherever he went. It was a part of being popular he completely abhorred… He got zero privacy… Not to mention all those girls swooning after him no matter where he went.

On the door frame stood tall and smiling his friend.

"Hey, Vegeta!"

"Fuck off, imbecile. I'm busy." He informed the poor creature before resuming punching the bag, making his comrade wonder whether it was his face the shorter boy imagined when he sent his swift powerful punches…

"But, Vegeta, the guys are already at a café and they're all waiting for us to go! Come on, let's go have fun."

"My idea of fun includes none of those pathetic and utterly annoying excuses for humans who just love irritating and bugging me. I'd much rather train that waste my time with you losers." He growled, kicking the bag and sending it almost flying backwards, still hanging on its hold, miraculously.

"But—"

"_Shut up and disappear, you idiot! I don't want to see you around again!_" Vegeta bellowed, grabbing the soda he had taken a few minutes ago but still haven't even touched, throwing it at Goku, missing by a hair's breadth… The other boy gulped loudly and grinned nervously down to his friend from the top of the stairs.

"I see you're enjoying yourself here, so I'll be on my way now—"

"_Get out, get out, GET OUT!_" This time a weight flew directly towards his face, but Goku dodged it fast and slammed the door shut, running out of the house before he could get chased off. Vegeta breathed in long ragged breaths, his hands agonizing already.

If he went out with them, he'd have all those people whisper behind his back just like yesterday in the disco. They seemed to have personal lives other than commenting on him, but whenever he crawled out of his hole they'd attack him in such a low way, making all his new 'friends' look at him as if he was filth on their shoes…

I wish that I could disappear... Unzip my skin and leave it here…

There was this short time when he was a nobody, when no one cared where he went, what he did, what he said, whom he dated, what he did with and whom he did it with… The times when he would have at least a bit remaining peace of mind, when he wouldn't get himself chased around by low life females, challenged by imbeciles because of the 'prides of their girlfriends' stolen by his 'unworthy self' in his 'quest for vengeance'… Such corny idiotic bastards, it was a pity such people even lived…

So that I could be no one again…

Whether it was cowardice staying away from people just for the sake of not being deserted or bad mouthed by those he would think as closer than most, he didn't know. He didn't even care… He didn't need anyone; he would need no one ever again… He had told the woman that, a few times over and over again…

And never let nobody, I'd let nobody in…

I've lost too many friends along the way…

He looked at his knuckles and smiled in a malicious scary way. He took some strange of sick pleasure in seeing them like that, and even in a worse condition. He slammed his fist in the punching bag again. He had been doing this for hours, and he'd continue doing it for hours more, if it depended on him… He would let no one interfere with his intense training… He needed to get stronger, stronger so that he could let no one make use of him ever again… So that no one would be able to get under his skin ever again… He would let no one in! No one! He needed no one! He didn't need those imbecilic mortals trying to figure his complicated nature out with their tiny comprehension!

Sometimes these shoes don't feel right in my head… Feel like a book that can't be read…

'What about Bulma?' A voice from the corner of his mind inquired. He paused his punch throwing. Well… Even if he did need her, which he _didn't_, he assured himself, _she_ didn't need _him_. She was rich, beautiful, high attractive and sexually appealing. She could have anyone she wanted. A rich, aristocratic, handsome smart ass, like herself, who led his family tree from some sort of old dynasty of filthy rich bastards… She could have _anyone_… Why would she want someone… someone like _him_?

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Bulma crept inside the house, surprised that the door was unlocked, but not paying much heed to it as she knew her boyfriend's keen senses for intruders. She made her way up the stairs towards his room being the first place she checked. She couldn't have known how early he had woken up since she had slept in till much later, still figuring out from her connections (just her parents) that he refused breakfast and moved out of her house in the morning. She opened the door and poked her head inside, planning to at least try and scare him, knowing the stone he was when it came to catching him off-guard. To her slight surprise, she found no one in. His bed didn't look like it was even touched.

The girl entered the spacious bedroom, looking around, having the time for once to look around unbothered by being found out. It was a really luxurious place there… And she had to admit, he had a taste for colouring and furniture. She expected to see a vanity mirror bigger than her own somewhere around this room, thinking he would love to admire himself a bit in privacy whenever he wanted, yet again surprisingly found no mirrors or mirror-resembling objects. Shrugging it off like a minor thing, she entered the adjourning bathroom, already scheming how she would creep inside the shower cabin while he cleaned himself off from the tiring work out session, yet found no one inside.

Flicking the light on, she continued her inspection of her lover's living quarters. There were beautiful tiles on the walls and the floor, a huge bathtub where probably three people could easily fit, a spacious shower cabin and no gel on the sink? She laughed. She had seriously expected that he put tons of gel on his hair to have it straight up like that, yet by touching it numerous times already she could tell that was not the feeling of gelled hair. Still, how could it just stand up naturally like that? It was an enigma just like its possessor.

No mirror whatsoever here either. She was _sure_ this was Vegeta's room, as there were some of his clothes lying around the bed and some chairs in the room… You need a mirror in the bathroom for the morning routines, right? Strange… Even so, the heiress shrugged the topic off again and made her way downstairs again, wondering if he was still training, after half an hour of Goku's initial invitation.

Taking the stairs by two at a time, she was in front of a small door almost immediately. She took a peek inside, only to be greeted by a thick darkness, having just a few shafts of light coming inside from the curtained tiny windows at the ceiling of the huge premise. It took her eyes a few seconds to adjust to the lack of any lightning, and when they finally did, her ears picked up a few words that by no doubt had exited her boyfriend's mouth as he was the only resident of the place currently aside herself. Her eyes widened when she finally found him and the rays lit his upper limbs and creepy grin. In the dim lit room, his expression became twice scaring…

Bulma quickly closed the door lightly, as not to make her presence known, her eyes still wide as her hand went to her mouth. She had no idea if it had been sweat that had trickled down his face as she had barely seen him in the dark… But she knew the rest was quite true, his knuckles oozing with blood, a strange grin, sadistic expression, on his face, his form still. As she recalled the image of him in that position, she felt a cold wave wash over her and a shiver ran down her spine, making her whole body shudder violently involuntarily. She shook herself off and made her way towards her friends. She had intruded upon a private moment of her boyfriend's… He would never forgive her if he ever found out…

She tried to shake the feeling of dread off, knowing that she would be an open book to her friends if they saw her like this… But she just couldn't rid herself of the scare he had given her… Treating his self so mercilessly… No wonder his knuckles were bruised on regular basis… Was _that_ how he trained!

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Live in my head for just one day… I see myself and look away…

He stood there in the eerie silence of the room, the same silence he'd love to have resounding in his mind too… He stood still there, his hands' blood dripping down in small droplets to the floor, on odd smile making its way to his face before he could even realize it…

_He stood there, stock still, paralyzed, looking at the lifeless frame on the floor, her form resembling a broken doll. His eyes blinked slowly, not daring to look up at the man in front of him. He wasn't shocked by the person on the ground in front of him. He was shocked more by the fact of who the person lying in front of him was…_

"_What are you looking at, boy! You want some too, huh? Huh!" _

"I'm not a weakling anymore…" He whispered barely audibly, his voice hoarse.

_The crumbled form of a shaking boy stood in the darkness of the unlit room, the pulled curtains barely letting the moon light inside._

"_Kakarotto…" He breathed in shakily. "Why'd you leave me? Why did you choose her over me! I thought… I always thought of you as my closest one… Why did you leave me now, when I most needed you!"_

"I don't need stupid Kakarotto anymore… I'm strong and powerful… I can take care of myself…"

_The teenage boy stared at the couple in front of him._

"_You dare come to me hand in hand and rub it in, don't you?"_

"_No, it's not like that! I told you already, why won't you listen to me!" The girl sobbed, taking a step towards him while he took a bigger step back._

"_Go to him, Hailie! I don't need either of you! Get lost; be happy together, after all the time I wasted on a traitorous wench such as you!"_

"_But –_

"_If he says he doesn't want us here, then we'll disappear." The person behind her put a hand on her shoulder, holding her back from crawling to his former best friend. "Let him know that he was the one who doesn't want us in his life."_

"_Why would I want such traitorous imbeciles as friends? Do you even KNOW what a friend means, you selfish bastard? You knew how I felt and still you backstabbed me, you low-life? Name just one reason I'd still tolerate either of you!" His counterpart snorted._

"_Just know that YOU are the whimsical spoilt brat right now, Veg man. Maybe I knew of your feelings, but did you know of mine?"_

"Liars, traitors, losers using me… Does it give you some kind of sick pleasure humiliating me? Does it grant you some twisted joy to see me break? Maybe you should just come and put an end to all of this… Wouldn't that be better for all of us? It would put an end to all your fun, what a shame?"

So now the walls are closing in… Because in life you sink or swim…

He collapsed to his knees, staring down at the ground, not really seeing it, just noticing how laboured his breathing was. Exhaustion had finally reached him and hit him full force in the face. He was feeling claustrophobic in his own mind… His head wasn't big enough to hide from the memories… He chuckled, noticing the small droplets of sweat crashing to the ground from down his face. He needed to take a break…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Bulma arrived in the café a few minutes later, not really looking in the mood for 'having fun' or explaining about her time together with Vegeta. As a matter of fact, she felt quite guilty for looking him up and intruding when she was least wanted that she didn't feel comfortable sharing any of their private experiences together with anyone…

She sat down, looking really out of it to her friends, but they resumed their talks from before she had arrived, leaving her have herself for a bit before pursuing her in a conversation. As the 'therapy' didn't work, ChiChi looked at her closely, her eye brows narrowing.

"Are you alright? You look really out of it." ChiChi voiced everyone's thoughts aloud, all of them nodding in agreement. Bulma smiled nervously.

"Um, yeah, I'm just thinking for a bit, sorry…"

"More like spacing out for some time." Juu said, leaning with her elbows on the table, as if seeing right through Bulma's mask with her piercing azure gaze.

"What's wrong?" ChiChi's eye brows were still narrowed when she asked that. Her friend didn't answer and looked away from the table, to some spot in a different dimension probably. When her gaze returned to the 'mortal world', she gave Goku a strange stare upon remembering the other bizarre thing she had encountered in Vegeta's quarters that had quite surprised her.

"Why weren't there any mirrors in Vegeta's room if he's so conceited and vain?" She looked inquiringly at Goku while the others stared at her as if she had just grown an additional hand. In the next moment Goku's puzzled expression broke in a grin and he chuckled. "What's so funny?" Bulma's eye brows dropped over her eyes, not finding the topic amusing at all. Now the whole table's attention was directed to ChiChi's lover.

"It's just that you're the first person to notice this." He laughed again. "I wish I'd see if Vegeta would react about this." He added, taking a sip of his afternoon coffee.

"Didn't you get the catch phrase wrong? It's 'I wish I'd see how he reacts about this'." ChiChi lifted an eye brow at her goofy boyfriend, thinking he was just being himself again. Little did she know that the boy was always dead serious when it came to his best friend.

Goku shook his head, still smiling when his ears perked up at the song that was getting played in the café.

"The irony…" He muttered, chuckling again.

"The irony of what?" Bulma lifted an eye brow, but was shushed by Goku's lifted index finger, motioning for her to listen to the song.

"Live in my head for just one day…" He slightly drummed his finger to the song that was played on the radio station the café was on. "I see myself and look away…" Bulma's eyes widened barely visibly, yet Goku understood his message was sent successfully. "It has been twice in my life that I have seen the intensity of the feelings the lyrics of this particular song hold…" He smiled sadly.

"Are we missing something?" Juu wondered aloud.

Yes, indeed, Bulma thought. It would've been good to see if Vegeta would react to that kind of information… Or he would just keep his feelings, like all things he thought personal, to himself, for no one to ever see, stored somewhere in the depths of his soul… Before she could comprehend what had happened, she felt someone slump down next to her in the free place, a hand snaked on the back of her seat. She looked at the person next to her, recognizing her boyfriend's bored expression. He blinked looking forward to his best friend.

"I can't believe I'm actually here, staring at your smug expression, Kakarotto… I swear, your stupidity is getting seriously contagious and rubbing off on me…" Bulma turned her head to look at Goku's face only to find no trace of his nostalgic mood, yet a shining grin beaming at the couple at his front.

"Sure it is, Vegeta."

She continued staring weirdly at him and he soon noticed that, turning his onyx deep eyes towards her. She could swear he could see right through her; that he could see her soul and the remorse she felt of coming down to get him… All those feelings, together… He probably knew, by the harshness of his gaze she could tell, he knew she had intruded upon his own moment of privacy, one of his few… What would he say now; would he tell her in front of all their friends? Would he belittle her in front of all her close ones and fight her here? Would he go all aggressive on her like that time when he transformed? Could it be that he would turn into that beast again, caught in by his anger?

When he spoke, all was lost…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

_Author's Notes:_ You probably hate me right now, I bet. Tomorrow it would have been a month since my last update. Snickers… Well, you know that my lack of inspiration is always your fault, as well as my huge inspiration. I'd like to thank Shades of Crimson for her wonderful review that triggered my will to write the chapter sooner, VeryShortMidget for all her wonderful long reviews (I'm in love with those) and my best friend Mila for inspiring me about the content of the chapter. _Yours sincerely, Dark Hope Assassin_


	19. Ch19: Anniversaries & Holidays

**Foreword:** I am pleased to announce that this fic is finally among the nineteen other above a hundred thousand words:) It has been so fun writing for you guys, and I haven't even got to the great part yet! Stay tuned and have fun reading! ;)

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Nineteen: Anniversaries and Holidays_

The spiky-haired teenager stared at his girlfriend weirdly, noticing the strange glint in her eye as she too observed him. What was wrong with her? She looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a truck… His eye brows narrowed at her. Judging by the fact she didn't have a drink, she most probably arrived no more than ten or so minutes before him.

"What's up with you? Your face is drained of colour." He blinked bored at her. She grinned nervously and laughed oddly.

"Oh, I'm great, just great, I just, uh…" She wasn't a good liar and he knew it. He just couldn't wait to see what kind of nonsensical explanation he would get from her, but when she couldn't come up with anything she just tried to change the subject.

"I think we're missing something again. But then again, I think I seriously don't want to know…" Juuhachi muttered, slurping through a long straw the last of her non-alcoholic cocktail. Krillin looked weirdly at her but daren't comment as he noticed the glare Vegeta sent him. Goku laughed light-heartedly.

"It's such a great thing we are actually all together now. I thought you didn't want to waste your time with us, Vegeta?" Goku turned his ridiculously grinning face towards his life-long friend. Vegeta's twitching eye brow and pulsing vein on the side of his forehead made the youth reconsider his taken actions.

"Don't push your luck, Kakarot." He sent his best friend a malicious glare only he could manage but before he could say any more a waitress nearly hung herself on his shoulder, grinning brainlessly and dangerously near his face.

The rest of the day the gang spent as they usually did: laughing, teasing and just enjoying themselves. And with all the fun they were all having, Bulma just couldn't bring herself to tell her boyfriend about her intrusion on his privacy.

Well, maybe she'd just do it later… It was not that much of a big deal after all.

Was it…?

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

A few days later, Bulma watched from afar as the flame-haired teenager observed his students, a displeased expression on his sharp features, yet not a word left his mouth to voice his thoughts on their performance. His arms were crossed over his chest and his board was neatly placed under his foot, readied for him to spring into action at any time…

The lavender haired girl's heart was still heavy with guilt for lying to the person she least wanted to defy… And for the past few days, he had been avoiding her, and she was sure he did it on purpose. It was about time she spilled the beans so she finally got rid of the pesky voice in the back of her head that kept nagging her about the topic.

Deciding that this timing was as good as any other, she approached him with growing anxiety, not really sure how to say what she wanted – no, _needed­_ to. He gave no sign he was aware of her presence behind him, but knowing his natural mistrustfulness of everyone she was sure she couldn't stay incognito from him for no longer than, what, five seconds?

"Hey…" she began in a meek voice as she lined up with him, staring at the diligent skaters that moved with grace to envy yet every now and then one or another slid on the ground after falling off his board. Vegeta shook his unruly head as he observed the pitiful sight those goons made.

"If you continue showing such poor execution you can be sure your skating days will be over before you can even realize it!" he screamed at them, his cool composure shattering slightly. Bulma's delicate eye brows narrowed. He was deliberately ignoring her. Well then if he was like that, she had no other option but to just say it and get the heck out of there. He just made it very clear to her he didn't want her there and then…

"Look, Vegeta, I just need to talk to you about something…" she started and sighed immediately after, somewhat in irritation and somewhat in exhaustion. It was getting really tiring, putting up with all his mood swings that were worse than those of a pregnant woman, she could swear.

"Talk then." He had the emitting warmth of an ice cube…

"If I feel like talking to a wall I'd stay at home. Even my room has _four_ of those." She rolled her eyes, already really fed up with his behavior. It was true that she felt uneasy, but she was stomping over her own pride when even deciding to apologize to _anyone_. She rarely did that, even though she wasn't nearly the obdurate bastard _he_ was. Admitting her wrongs had never been a strong point of hers.

"Are you here to talk or to reeducate me in how to deal with my own life?" The dark haired boy glared at her from the side of his eye and had her sigh in pure irritation again.

"Fine then. I just wanted to say, that… Well…" She rolled her eyes about the area. Apologizing was a whole new world to her after all… "What I want to tell you is that—"

"What do you say I make it easier for you?" She lifted an eye brow at his statement. "I'm aware you lied to me." He informed her, his expression as bored as a second ago. Her eyes widened slightly as she creased both her brows.

"You are?" A pair of onyx orbs rolled at the repeating of the same thing he had just said. That's when she realized what he said. "Wait a second. I didn't _lie_!"

"No, you didn't." His eyes rolled again. This was going to get painful for his ocular muscles. "You just concealed the truth. How is that _not_ the same as lying?" He glared at her. Biting on her tongue she decided that having an argument like that was more than useless, so she quit on it before she had an angry Vegeta to deal with.

"Then… you're angry with me?" Her question was made with the same weak voice she had approached him with.

"Did I say I was?"

"That's why you're avoiding me, isn't it?" What was this, twenty questions with Bulma Briefs or something dense of the sort?

"You're putting words in my mouth."

"Will you be _straightforward_ for once?" Her sapphire coloured eyes sparkled with the rage that built inside her toward the teen by her.

What was _wrong_ with him recently? Couldn't he at least try to be tolerable when he was around her? She had barely even caught a glimpse of him the last few days and when she finally got to have a 'decent' conversation with him, if you could even call it _that_, he was so cold toward her? Didn't he just say he wasn't avoiding her because of that… accident? She had no idea how to translate his words anymore!

"As far as I recall, I have always been quite frank. It comes naturally." He answered coolly, making her shake with the tension she tried to hold back.

"Oh, I see. Kind of like when you're an asshole… That comes naturally too, doesn't it?" she hissed through gritted teeth. Vegeta mocked thinking at her inquiry, looking at the dark cloudy sky.

"Yes, kind of like then." He smirked with his back to her now as he had taken a step toward his pupils, looking as they tried to nail the tricks they couldn't do.

Yet so far none of them proved to have any results. Just looking at them brought a dilemma: should he laugh or should he cry? Their posture was so idiotic, they looked like amateurs. Actually, most of them were… Few had stayed with him over the years of harsh training he pulled on them. Those few ones were actually quite thankful to him. They were considerably better than the others. Then on the other hand, most of his 'successors' couldn't do half as good as he could. Maybe the only ones that were an exception to that statement were the bisexual Zarbon and the imbecilic 'best friend' of his, Kakarot. He dropped a heavy sigh. Those idiots were never going to learn how to skate with the pace they were advancing with…

Bulma kept observing his profile, still having no answer to her quite simple inquiry.

"Then—" she began, but she had no time to finish her sentence as her counterpart yelled to his cronies,

"Alright losers! I guess I'll just have to show you how this is done so you finally get it through your thick skulls!" He pushed his board forward, stopping only to say a thing to Bulma. "Since this is your first offence I'm going to overlook it. Take care it's your last too. You don't want to be 'punished', do you?" He looked over his shoulder as he said it, winking at her before going over to his friends and showing them how to do the tricks they couldn't.

Bulma stared in empty space for a while, wondering what exactly had transpired over such a short period of time that had actually baffled her so. Then, she grinned widely. She wasn't sure why exactly she was doing it too… Maybe it was just because her boyfriend shifted back to the person she had fallen for, or because he was a few classes better than those other guys down there and it was obvious… She honestly didn't know why it was she was so happy, but she knew the emotion overwhelmed her. She stuck her tongue out at him even though he most likely couldn't see that.

Turning on her heel, she decided to let him 'entertain' himself. She'd bug him again later, when he got hungry after the training. He was usually famished from wasting 'so many of his precious nerves on those imbeciles that didn't even appreciate them'. She giggled, hoping that she'd have that same Vegeta making her company later…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The rest of November had rolled by in no time and snow was already hugging in a comfortable lover's embrace the whole nature.

Vegeta's group's skating show had been the absolute best. Even though a few weeks before it the poor things looked anything but ready to skate before a whole group of squealing fan girls of theirs, on the day of the event they had shown a perfect performance. She just had to give a few more points to her boyfriend for the discipline he kept among his people.

The show had taken place on the rink famed as Vegeta Ouji's favourite one. It was vital that it didn't snow that day, because otherwise the rink would get slippery since it was under the open sky. The day back then had been really scary looking: heavy clouds were blocking the sun's rays; not even a shaft of light pierced through the thickness of the aerials. People had been afraid that it would start snowing any time but it happened right when Vegeta was done with the 'closing ceremony', standing high on the ramp. Bulma would never forget how majestic he had looked in her eyes back then: his head toward the skies as the tiny snowflakes flowed around him, landing on his face and instantly turning to crystalline droplets of water from the heat he emitted; his board in one hand and his other balled in a fist by him.

After such a great execution it was only to be expected for Vegeta to be crowded for a few weeks by ecstatic fan girls. The only thing Bulma minded about them was that they were annoying the Hell out of her, but she took quite some pleasure in seeing them being dissed by her boyfriend. Their pain was her pleasure after all. She had laughed when she first thought that.

Even though things in their relationship were going smoothly, Bulma didn't miss Vegeta's… well… general behavior. She had asked Goku about it, but the teen had just told her to keep her cool and to give him some room. And that was what she was doing, even though on rare occasions she couldn't help but notice that he was getting… thinner?

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Vegeta approached Goku as the whole gang was seated at lunch in school on the first day of their last week for the year.

"I can't believe that the year is almost done for." Juuhachigou said as she munched on the meat she made the mistake to buy from the canteen lady.

"Hey, guys; speaking of the end of the year, what will be our plans for Christmas and New Year's Eve?" ChiChi studied the faces of her friends after her inquiry. Most of them just lifted a thoughtful eye brow, trying to recall if they had such a thing for both mentioned nights.

"Well, I don't think my parents will let me go anywhere on the twenty-forth. After all, it's a family holiday…or whatever…" Bulma muttered, rolling her eyes at the ceiling. ChiChi nodded at her words.

"Yeah, my dad will most likely want to 'spend some quality time' together with me." ChiChi informed in a bored tone as she poked her own canteen plate with the plastic fork. It was an overstatement to call this junk food, actually…

"My brother doesn't really care about any of that. I'm sure he'll be out with some of those rotten bastards of his that he calls friends, getting drunk and hitting on strippers in some low pub or something." Juu interjected, not really interested with the topic.

"My grandfather doesn't either… He'll probably be trying to buy the first special edition of Playboy or something." Krillin laughed nervously. The only ones that were not participating in the celebration conversation were engrossed with one of their own, making the rest of the clique's faces turn to them, seeing Vegeta's smug expression as Goku laughed at something he had said.

As the girls got engaged in another pointless discussion, Vegeta sat down next to his girlfriend with Goku on his other side. Elbowing the taller teen in the ribs to gain his attention, Vegeta passed him a wad of fifty dollar bills. Goku grinned at him and put the money in a pocket of his jacket.

"I take it you had a nice catch last night?" It was more of a rhetorical question since quite a nice result was now in Goku's pocket, but he was sure that his friend would love to show off whom and in what he had beaten. Vegeta grinned malignantly.

"You bet it was," he boasted. "I finished _thirty seconds_ faster than that Satan guy!" Vegeta laughed haughtily. "_And_, afterwards, I finished a whole liter of blood ahead of him." It was Goku's turn to laugh at that. Now the whole gang was concentrated at the pair that still refused to include them in their discussion.

"Usually, I'd say something about a statement of the sort. But right now I'm actually really glad you showed that show off some manners. He was seriously getting on my nerves, I swear…"

"Who are we talking about?" Juu interfered, looking from Goku to Vegeta and back again.

"Have you heard of this guy that calls himself Hercule, or something? The Satan guy? Although I think he's seriously mistaking if he thinks he's anywhere _near_ being a Satan…" Goku rolled his eyes at the reminiscence of the pathetic type that was the person he was explaining to Juuhachi. The blonde shook her head 'no'.

"What about him anyway?"

"Well, he used to say he was better than us in _everything_. We usually left him out of the stuff because he never really showed much talent in anything; he didn't have the money to enter the tournaments anyway. So, yeah. Now Vegeta beat his ass up real well, didn't you?" Goku laughed, patting his friend's shoulder but finding the shorter boy was already preoccupied with a different conversation.

"Where were you the whole day? I was worried about you!" Bulma scorned him, making the boy roll his haunting onyx eyes.

"Sorry, _mother_. I decided to sleep in since I was tired from the previous night."

"Tired?" Goku repeated under his breath at the odd declaration Vegeta had just made.

"Oh, and just what were you doing last night, huh?" Bulma jumped in offence again.

"Since when do I have to report everything I do to _you_?" He lashed back at her, making her thin eye brow twitch.

"Since you're my boyfriend that doesn't care enough to call just for the sake of a conversation!"

"If what we're having now is what you call a conversation, I am most certainly happy I didn't call you then." Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest angrily, not really in the mood for an argument with her.

"You still haven't answered my stupid question!" she shrieked at him, feeling ready to jump him any minute now… He was walking on a very thin line there…

"One thing you're absolutely right about – the question _is_ stupid. And if you want to know so badly, I was raising money. Some of us need to _work_ so they can live, you know." He bared his gritted teeth at her after the statement he made. Everyone was silent afterward, not really sure if it was their place to interfere with the couple's arguments. Bulma, on the other hand, was blinking slowly, trying to digest the information she had received. She had never thought about it this way before. She had forgotten what Juuhachi said about the street racing and fighting that he was equally famed for in the street life, just as famous as he was as a skater.

"You were out working last night then?" She lifted an eye brow.

"Did I stutter?" He rolled his eyes again. She was being slow today again…

"Forget it! What are you guys' plans for Christmas and New Year?" ChiChi inquired of her boyfriend and Vegeta. The two boys shared a puzzled (and bored on Vegeta's behalf) look before the flame-haired male answered her,

"Stare at stupid TV shows all night long?"

"Why do we have to plan these things from now, ChiChi? There are still two weeks till Christmas!" The glare his raven-haired girlfriend sent him alarmed him that it was the wrong thing to say…

"Well if you have no plans, Goku, why don't you come at my place? Dad will be happy if you join us!" She stretched her hands over the table and placed a peck on her boyfriend's cheek. The boy chuckled stupidly, glancing at Vegeta for a split second, seeing the shorter boy just shrug his shoulders and relax back, not really caring where the goon went. It was his business anyway, was it not?

"Okay then, I'll be there!" The happy-go-lucky boy grinned widely. "Should I bring something when I come over?"

"Not really, we'll have everything already prepared, so don't worry yourself sweetie…" Juu and Krillin rolled their eyes at the couple. It was completely odd how ChiChi jumped down Goku's throat for the smallest of things he did wrong, making it seem as if she was fed up with his simple existence and in the next moment she'd become this dear girl all of a sudden… It was… scary…

"Then are we going to do something together on New Year's?" Krillin creased an eye brow as his question was stated. Bulma put a thoughtful finger on her chin.

"How about all you guys come over to my house for New Year? It will be so fun! My mom has been dying to organize a party of some sort since she missed my birthday." She giggled, making her boyfriend roll his eyes at the reminiscence of the bubbly woman. She was something truly unique and somewhat he wasn't feeling really anxious to see her again… She was… odd… She was so weird that it was intimidating at times.

"Sounds like a plan to me." ChiChi grinned. "And I reserve the spot as a cook!"

"Good. I wouldn't want to be poisoned by the woman's poor skills in the kitchen…" Vegeta sneered, making Bulma glare at him and slap his shoulder. "That didn't even come remotely close to hurting." He chuckled at the dark tint her eyes adorned with.

Before Bulma could argue back, the bell rang signaling the end of lunch break. Groaning, the clique separated in different directions, each heading for the next torture for the day. The only one who headed in an entirely different direction was the flame-haired male. He had some more important matters to attend to than idiotic school.

With a heavy sigh separating in agony from his lungs, he made his way toward a facility he had never and _would never_ like, nor believe in. But she had believed and that was all that mattered today…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Bulma wondered on her way back to her house if Vegeta had been insulted that she hadn't invited him over to Capsule Corporation after ChiChi had asked Goku… She liked to think he sincerely didn't care about such trivial matters as much as everyone else did, more or less anyway. She heard from Goku that Vegeta had decided to skip the rest of school too as he hadn't gone to any classes in the morning anyway. The spiky-haired friend of hers had also informed her that her boyfriend hadn't gone home, yet that he had decided to be 'closer to God' for today, as it was an anniversary to him.

The lavender haired girl was used to having Vegeta speak to her in riddles, but Goku following the shorter male's example could prove to be a real pain in the ass. What did he mean, 'closer to God'? What kind of anniversary was it? Couldn't _he_ be straightforward with her either? What was so secret about the whole deal?

She tried to relax back and go inform her parents that they were going to have a surprise guest for Christmas Eve, so her mother would know to cook more food. And knowing Vegeta's appetite, the woman would have to cook for five more…

Bulma jumped slightly before entering the compound. She was going to make this Vegeta's best Christmas yet.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Vegeta stared with his head back from the bottom to the top of the tall building. He sighed lightly, entering the huge open wooden doors. There was no one inside at that time of day. He approached the candle stands, looking at the paintings on the walls on the inside of the monstrously huge temple. There were angels, Jesus, the Virgin Mary holding God's son in her embrace… Vegeta's impassive expression didn't change. He looked around for somewhere to buy a candle from.

His onyx eyes soon landed on a stand by the entrance, where various souvenirs were sold 'to help the church'. He barely held back a snort of disapproval, knowing how much of that money would go to for the 'cause'. He bought the thing and approached the candle holders again. Lighting the object in his hand from one of the burning candles, he watched with a steady hand how the frisky flame danced from the top of the wax candle. The light the candle created made small shadows chase each other on the teenager's muscular arms. His eyes didn't part once with the intense brightness of the flame as he reminisced the days he spent with the only woman that had ever sincerely loved him, and he could say for sure, more than she loved her own life…

Sighing and still carrying the uncaring expression on his face, he turned to the icon of the serene Jesus on the wall, the figure looking at him with its sightless eyes. Trying to recall the words he hadn't spoken in a year now, his mouth started moving breathlessly in the only prayer he had willed himself to learn. He still didn't believe in any of this Heaven and Hell shit; he would never believe those fools that preached of 'The Lord's' teachings.

But he knew that, if her soul was with God now and if he was truly able to talk to Him in this church, she would most certainly be brought to tears by the fact he had cared enough to waste the precious minutes in his life to please her by learning something he had always called useless… Something that would _show_ her how much he cared…even back then…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from Evil. Amen." He whispered his prayers, again and again, staring at the candle still in his hands as it burned out, just how a person's life burns out…

He heard echoing footsteps approach just as he finished his mutterings, stretching his hand out to place the lighted object on the lowest candle holder, where the flames burnt in order to honour the dead.

"It's quite a surprise to see that my hunch has been correct." A cool feminine voice informed him as the form of the girl stopped right behind him.

"I'm guessing Kakarot told you where to find me since you can't spend a second without me." He mocked, the reflections of the dozens of playful flames burning in his midnight onyx eyes.

"He veiled the information quite well, but you know that I'm such a smart girl." She draped a hand over his right shoulder, her other one hugging his waist, pulling him in a gentle, somewhat soothing embrace. "He said something about anniversary."

"Am I even supposed to say something to that?" He questioned her calmly. She shook her head and then placed it on his free left shoulder, her cheek against his neck.

"Not unless you want to." A still quietness filled the air which was carrying the aroma of burnt wax heavy in itself. Neither moved a muscle as they observed the holders, the dozens of various sizes candles slowly burning out; tears of melting wax rolled down their tall postures under the two pairs of eyes upon them.

"It's the anniversary of my mother's death." He shook Bulma off himself as gently as he could, not feeling really up for any pity from her. "That's all you need to know." With that, he made an exit, having his girlfriend send one lingering gaze at the icons on the walls before departing after him.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"I'd advice you to _let go of my shirt_ before something really bad happens to you…"

Vegeta glared at the pile of boxes he was already carrying that towered over his own height somewhat, and Bulma claimed they weren't even halfway done. Now she was trying to drag him down somewhere and was telling him to hurry up before the thing she wanted got bought by someone. However, she seemed not to realize that his hands _were busy_ and if she didn't want her precious things to fall, she better not pull on his shirt. Not to mention that the action was annoying the hell out of him.

"Oh, come on, Vegeta! I want one of those too!" ChiChi gasped. "They're fifty percent off too!" Both females ran into the store, squealing all the way there and commenting something on… whatever it was they wanted to buy so badly. Rolling his eyes, the flame haired teen wondered why he had let himself be dragged into this, not to mention that they were buying food and all the shit she'd need for her stupid party or whatever she was throwing… He didn't even _care_ about Christian celebrations! He was _not_ a Christian!

"Vegeta, come on!" Goku called to him, his own pile of boxes rivaling the height of a skyscraper. "The girls are currently trying on some Victoria's Secret stuff." The fool grinned idiotically, walking off with a shaky step towards the direction the two girls left in. Vegeta's frown quickly turned into an impassive one and then he grinned maliciously too. Maybe being a mule paid off with some lingerie modeling.

He would decide on that after he saw those petite forms of that girlfriend of his in some skimpy bikinis and tops… Maybe those mall shopping trips weren't as bad as he originally thought them to be…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Christmas Eve… A day that spoke of friendliness, tranquility and togetherness… It was a day when distant relatives came to visit, when you send a card to a long lost friend or when you just feel the spirit of Christmas lingering in the lung-freezing wintry air.

Christmas had almost arrived and Vegeta's figure had considerably changed, and definitely not for the better too. He had lost quite some muscle tone and the bags under his eyes were getting ever more visible for the untrained eye. He looked like a used rag and acted even worse. He was in one of his foulest moods the world had ever seen him in. Everyone from the clique other than his girlfriend and best friend refused to say even a word to him.

And even though he was such an asshole the whole time now, Bulma still wanted to make that surprise party for him. She made her way in the late afternoon over to his house and met Goku on his way out, an almost painful grin etched on his features.

"What's up, Goku?" Bulma greeted the boy with a smile.

"I hurt in places I didn't even know existed…" The lavender haired female just stared at him, as he slowly turned about and made his way slowly toward his car. "See you later, B…" Shrugging her shoulders, Bulma decided to leave the worrying for the tall guy to ChiChi. Her interest lay in the person still inside the huge house in front of her.

Taking several steps at a time, she arrived on the second floor in no time, looking around to see any trace of her boyfriend.

"Vegeta?" She called in the open dark hallway. It was already well into December and it was getting dark early and it was over six thirty already. She couldn't see the light on in any of the rooms in her sight. "Vegeta?" she called again as she opened his room and found him with his headphones in his ears, his Discman next to him on the spacious comfy bed.

His eyes were concealed from the world as he seemed to be relaxing some. She doubted disturbing him for a moment but gathered her wits again, approaching him slowly.

The slow mesmerizing rhythm of the song slowly but surely lulled the boy to sleep. He was so tired recently… He slept too much, he had no appetite and all he wanted to do was screaming at everyone and hitting Kakarot as occasionally as possible. It was odd… He was aggressive, yes. But usually his viciousness was at bay when there was no need of offensive action. Raising his voice was not what his vocal cords were created for. How come such weird urges came so overwhelming from inside him? Was this what it meant to be perpetually frustrated?

"**_Imagine no possessions… I wonder if you can… No need for greed or hunger – a brotherhood of man… Imagine all the people sharing all the world… You may say I'm a dreamer… but I'm not the only one… I hope some day you will join us and the world will live as one…_**" That's the exact moment the headphones were pulled out of his ears and he stared at his intruder, whose face was alarmingly close to his for him not to notice who it was even though the inky darkness.

"What do you want?" He snapped as he got up and away from her warm breath tickling his face, supporting his weight against the mattress on his hands, pressing the stop button on his player. Bulma's bright smile beamed even through the darkness of the room.

"How about you come over to dinner? You look like you could seriously use some. Not to mention that the company will be better than that of an empty huge mansion, oh, dark one." She made it all sound so funny, but none of it was. _An empty mansion… **Empty** mansion…_ So dull and intimidating…

"I'll skip this time." He sighed, snatching his headphones from her, planning to put them back in his ears.

"Oh, come on, Vegeta! You're just being stubborn! Come over, I promise, you won't feel sorry! Cross my heart and hope to die if I lie to you!" She grabbed his hands with her smaller ones, a pout gracing her innocent facial features.

"I want to be alone right now, woman… I told that to Kakarot and I'm telling it to you too. Just leave…" He turned his back to her, putting the end of their 'conversation'. Her grin didn't falter a bit.

"I was expecting you'd say that…" she said almost to herself as the boy ignored her. Making a hasty exit, she disappeared from sight, letting the boy have the peace he so much wanted. With a heavy sigh, he stared at the white ceiling above him. Maybe he had crossed a line a bit with his rudeness, but he just didn't feel like dealing with people right there and then. Bulma's bubbly mother was sure to make some delicious foods that were going to make his mouth water from the mere sight of the streaming dish… However, he didn't want to do anything. Silence was all he ever needed on Christmas and New Year…

Soon, however, he could swear he could hear something moving rapidly downstairs. He wrote it off to his imagination once, then twice. When he could no longer ignore the suspicious sounds, he got up in a swift movement, taking off for the door. He stood atop the steps a few seconds later, his mouth agape. She had to be kidding…

"Thanks guys, you have no idea how thankful I am you accepted this job on Christmas Eve…" Bulma smiled at the diligent Capsule Corporation employees as they brought the Christmas decorations in Vegeta's house and placing them on their respective places as previously instructed by the young heiress. The 'leader' of the group smiled charmingly at her, shaking his head.

"It's always a pleasure working for you, ma'am." He curtsied slightly, waiting for his men to finish the last of the things, making their way out with a respectful bow to their future employer. Bulma waved at them and Vegeta heard the shrill voice of her mother coming from his kitchen.

"Honey, did you decorate the rooms?"

"Yeah, mom! I just finished!"

They continued their nonsensical chatter, checking if everything was 'alright'. Weren't they missing something? _He_ wasn't alright with what they were doing to his place! Storming down the stairs, he approached the woman to question her audacity in doing however she liked in _his_ house.

"I know you're pissed, but you're so going to love this!"

"How dare you do as you wish around here without even asking for my permission!" He jumped down her throat immediately, his eyes glaring daggers her way, a lost flame shining in them.

"Well, at least now that you're angry with me I can finally see some passion. I was seriously getting dejected by your behaviour, Vege-kun." She smiled brightly at him, pecking his nose. "Besides, you would have reacted the same way like when I asked you over! I couldn't have that, you know! I spent so much time planning this day." She skipped around, fixing this and that here and there. Her first words had taken him quite aback, but he followed her, still huffing in anger as she did as if she was home.

"How far does your audacity let you go, woman?" He inquired of her. Instead of answering him with a shitty mood matching his, she turned on her heel and hugged him tightly.

"Don't worry, sweetie. This Christmas you'll absolutely love!"

"Who's up for some dinner?" came the voice of Mrs. Briefs from the kitchen again.

Crossing his arms Vegeta refused to believe that she could do something he could actually enjoy more than being his own company in his unlit room, listening to the music that he liked best.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Yet at the end of the Evening, Vegeta couldn't deny that it was indeed the greatest Christmas he ever had. Dr. Briefs looked like a boring old man when you first looked at him, but the man had a few things up his sleeve. Besides, the younger male had learned so many entertaining new things around him. Not to mention that the old man didn't look even close to the gossiper he actually was. They had all laughed so hard at some of the things that went on in the business world, making all those big shots seem like absolute imbeciles.

Mrs. Briefs, on the other hand, appeared to be air-headed, not nearly as smart and quite simple-minded, with the same happy-go-lucky attitude Goku possessed in his best days. And it was all true. But it was exactly that spirit of hers that made the atmosphere light and enjoyable. The woman always interjected with such nonsensical comments in the most inappropriate times for them that the dark haired boy couldn't contain his laughter on the third time it happened in front of him.

As for his girlfriend, well… She was just being herself – the girl that he could barely keep his mind off of.

All in all, for one night even, he had the one thing he had wished for on a day like this and never really got – a loving carefree family that wasn't uneasy in his company; a family that wasn't disturbed by the fact he was filthy famous, because those people were even richer and more famous. It was truly a night to remember…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Several hours later Vegeta stood in the hallway, looking at the old man Briefs in a blissful doze on the spacious comfy couch. Bulma's mother was probably somewhere in the kitchen, cleaning up the dishes and the leftovers from the huge dinner they had. He couldn't help a smile that crept on his features as he turned around only to come face to face with his grinning girlfriend.

"Well, did I disappoint you?" She beamed.

"Do you ever…" He smirked at her and then he noticed the scrawny plant above their heads. "What the hell is _that_? You got weed in my house?" Bulma gave him a lopsided sardonic smile.

"That's not a weed, you dork. It's mistletoe." She informed him in a smartass tone.

"Whatever; it looks like a weed to me and that's all that matters." He smirked haughtily at her.

"Don't you believe in mistletoe?"

"What's there to believe?" He lifted an inquiring eye brow. And Bulma had to admit, all of those celebrations have lost their religious meaning over the years. But other facts still prevailed. It was a respected date by most and people respected the togetherness that came with a family celebration like Christmas evening. She smiled at her dubious boyfriend.

"But you believe in this, no?"

Before he could inquire what exactly she meant with 'this', he was pulled down by his neck in a gentle kiss by his lover. He smirked against her mouth.

His best Christmas _ever_…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

_Author's Notes:_ Too tired… Haven't slept properly in _months_… Walked over a few kilometers… _Need… rest…_

_Need… reviews…too… More than ever… Major writer's block… Love every single reviewer who's still with me… You guys have this fic still going on… Please don't stop… If you stop, I can't continue on my own… O,o I'm so drained of energy, muse and everything… Argh…!_

_**Please, please… Be a good reader and review if you read this chapter… Certainly you'd want to at least pick on some random mistake… Come on… Press it, press the button…!**_

_**(faints)**_


	20. Ch20: Fireworks!

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Twenty: Fireworks!_

The puffy coldness of the moist snow embraced lovingly the adjacent buildings that composed the Capsule Corporation compound, hiding the faint yellowish-orange paint of the structures behind the mist of whiteness, dulling the senses of anyone who stepped out of the comfortable warm confines of the enormous edifice because of the brightness of the scenery. The streets were deserted; no one dared step out in the cold wintry air that made your nostrils sticky with its icy temperatures. Even though the majestic view the ice house that Capsule Corps looked like made, if you walked down the street you'd notice a humble cozy mansion right next door, its eaves and roof also heavy with the Christmas snow, that could make your eyes squint by the winter sun's weak rays, amplified several times by the smooth surface of the covering whiteness.

Bulma Briefs was no exception, as she closed her eyes immediately after the bright light had stirred her out of her peaceful slumber. Groaning slightly, her lavender haired head buried in the soft pillow that still carried the sweet mix of her and her boyfriend's scents from the previous night. She smiled deliriously, still half asleep, as she attempted to open her sapphire orbs to the world again, only to notice with unmasked vexation that the curtains were pulled to the side, letting the whiteness filter through the window and into the otherwise usually dark room.

The female released another incoherent moan, a sure sign of lingering sleep in her system, as she tried to sit up, only to find a familiar muscled arm draped over her waist in a protective little embrace. The girl blinked a few times, finally fully awake, now staring at her lover, as if seeing him for the first time in her entire life. And, this morning was a first, truly.

It was the first time that he slept in through the morning with her. Usually he awoke quite earlier than her and, careful not to wake her, just took off for the morning work out, for some breakfast, or just dallying in front of the TV. But not this morning. His relaxed expression was facing her, his whole being peaceful with slumber, and the only movements he made the gentle rise and fall of his broad chest.

Bulma was no fool. She knew that this sudden change about him was something that couldn't possibly be good. However, she couldn't pass such a great opportunity. Trying to ignore the nagging voice in the back of her head that something was wrong, she rested her soft cheek against his chest, her hand snaking around him, clutching closer to him in a gentle embrace.

Even though he had made it perfectly clear to her he wouldn't buy any presents for any of her family members, or her, for this particular celebration, the lavender haired girl couldn't think of a better present he could give her than his presence right there, right then…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

As Vegeta came to himself, he was greeted by the impassive expression of his girlfriend staring at him, chin comfortably placed on her crisscrossed arms over his chest. He observed her too for a long moment before there was no trance of sleep in his eyes. Groaning, he whipped his head away from her.

"What the hell are you doing?" he demanded with a slight hoarse voice from lack of usage for the _twelve or so hours that he slept._ She shrugged at that.

"Watching you sleep?" It was truly more of a question as it was indeed what she had been doing for some time but she wasn't even sure why she was doing it. Whether it was because he was usually not as off-guard as he had been seconds ago or maybe because she just liked observing him? Then again, when had _she_ turned into a creepy stalker? On the other hand, since when marveling what is yours is labeled stalking?

"While you continued staring me, did you see me as some cheap museum exhibit?"

"No, nothing of the sort, why?" She smiled widely at him as she offered the retort kindly.

"Wonderful," he muttered with a taut smile. "Then until I become one, you'll pay a staring fee." He informed her as he attempted to get up but was halted by Bulma's leg thrown over his waist and soon her body, still naked from yesterday's activities, straddled his lap. He glared at her. "What now?"

"You know, I was just wondering, how is it that all of a sudden you sleep as much as a pre-teenager?" He cocked an eye brow at the statement. "And how is it that I could touch your face freely when you usually react very sharply to that even if you're asleep?" He rolled his eyes at her. "And just _what_ the _hell_ am I feeling against my thigh?" Vegeta smiled devilishly up at her.

"Morning erection," he informed, his smirk never faltering as he watched the woman fidget. "You were saying?"

"I was saying that you're really out of it and I'm getting worried about you and—this happens every morning when you wake up?" He barely contained his laughter. She had no idea how enticing it was when she was caught off-guard over such an issue.

"Yes, it does." His smirk never faltered still. "Don't worry about me, woman; I'm just recharging for a whole year's worth, is all." His mock smile contained the degree of enjoyment he was getting from her puzzled expression and complete ignorance of how to act.

You are probably wondering at the time too what is wrong with our favourite genius… It was a fact that she had been just mutely staring at him for an hour or so with all sorts of thoughts crossing her mind, though the _evil_ ones domineered (if you get where she's heading), and now she had this _very interesting_ knowledge about male anatomy on her platter… However, before she could take any action, the door burst open revealing a very happy Mrs. Briefs.

"Come on, kiddies, you're going to miss the pancakes! With the tempo this handsome boy down there eats we'll have to make another dozen!" She stared at the couple, without any clothes to shield their bodies from the blonde's shameless stare. "Oh, goodness, I didn't want to intrude; I didn't know intrusions could make you miss, dear, awww… You're both so cute!" And with that she slammed the door and the pair to themselves, an eerie silence stretching over them.

Bulma got up from the bed and dragged the gaping very quiet Vegeta who was looking incredulously at the spot the elder woman had been moments ago, his mind not even registering the "Come on, big guy. Let's go have a shower before we go join them," with which his girlfriend took him towards the adjourning bathroom.

If you were in the corridor leading to their room the next moment, even through the thick walls you would be able to hear the infernal cry the boy released, "_WHAT DID SHE JUST SAY ABOUT ME?_"

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Even after the quickie in the shower, and the refreshing shower itself, Vegeta glared venomous daggers at the blond mother of his girlfriend and stubbornly refused to eat any of her food, settling just for a sandwich (or rather a pile of sandwiches), not even paying attention to Goku who was devouring the newly made pancakes that were meant for Vegeta with a speed that couldn't be one of an eating person. Bulma was trying fruitlessly to assure him that the woman wasn't sane and that she always said such things in the least appropriate times, but the flame-haired boy refused to hear any of it. She had crossed the line was the only thing he had commented before slamming the door to his room upstairs once he was done with breakfast.

Of course, the encounter was soon forgotten, as Bulma just had her ways to persuade him, which we won't turn too much attention to.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

It was a mutual agreement that had prevailed for the whole time the clique had existed and those five (as Vegeta was quite a new member, so to say) teenagers have been befriended that they made no official gifts for each other. Gift giving was a pain the ass, with coming up for something you can give to someone as a gift, wrapping it and all of that… Besides, all of them could get whatever they needed and giving each other useless things they'd never even touch was something none of them wanted.

And so, the following Christmas day they spent in the nearest open café, laughing and sharing experiences of the previous night together. After all, wasn't that what Christmas was about at first – love, friendship and togetherness?

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

**31st December…**

"Alright, people, listen up!" Bulma ordered with a copy of the shopping list in hand. Her five friends stared impassively at her, Juu and Vegeta wondering subtly how was it that they had themselves involved in this… "We're going to have to cover the entire list for the following _hour_. Try to work as fast as you can. When you're done, take the things you buy with you towards Capsule Corporation and start working on the second stage of our plan. This is not a joke!"

"We should've bought her some of those camouflage pants and a proper jacket to go with them, given her a helmet and she'd look like the major she liked to pretend to be." Vegeta mocked, a taut smile on his features as his girlfriend slowly turned her head toward him. She mimicked her same expressed and came closer to him.

"This is going to be fun." Goku snickered as he said to Krillin who could only nod at the information. He didn't dare say anything that Vegeta could strangle him later for.

"You think you're so funny, don't you?" She sneered making him smirk again.

"I don't need to think that – I _know_ it's true." His smug expression ticked her off even further, but then she just smirked as well, crossing her hands over her chest.

"And I know someone who's not going to be kissed at midnight." His expression faltered. "What, you don't believe it? I could always kiss Goku after ChiChi does. Just a friendly kiss, you know. After all, what a friend will I be if I don't insert a friendly tongue?" Goku grinned at that and Krillin laughed.

"What did you say?" ChiChi screeched soon, ready to pounce on the elder girl.

"You're one lucky son of a bitch, Goku." Krillin snickered too, making his friend nod goofily.

"You wouldn't dare…" Vegeta growled while glaring at her firmly. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Try me."

After a very uncomfortable silence during which Goku tried to keep ChiChi away from her best friend Vegeta snatched the paper from her hands and took off toward the area where the groceries she had underlined with red were, as they were the ones the two of them had to take care of. Grinning after him, she shouted a, "I knew you'd see it my way," receiving a satisfying long string of choice curses while he moved on. Turning on her heel to look at her friends, she informed them, "Okay, guys; both your groups have to buy the things that are underlined in your list. After that, drop the things off at my place and when we're all gathered together again, we'll start cooking, cleaning and getting ready for tonight, okay?"

ChiChi grumbled something, but dragged Goku toward their aisle anyway while Juuhachigou and Krillin paired up together to go buy the alcohol. That is if you count beer and a bottle of champagne for alcohol… Nodding as she watched her people separate and do as they were told, Bulma caught up with Vegeta who still looked rather pissed.

"You get a rise out of ordering me around, don't you?" He snapped at her, not even looking at her as he reached for the flour on the neighbouring shelf. She grinned at his profile.

"Don't ask questions the answer to which you know, Veg." She sniggered, leaning on his shoulder making him shrug her off rather rudely.

"I can't believe you blackmailed me with frenching Kakarot. Do you have no dignity?" He glared at her maliciously.

"It worked, didn't it?"

"_Now _you're pushing your luck." The chicken for the New Year's table landed in their cart as they slowly continued down the huge market.

"You know, I still haven't tried that night gown I bought at Victoria's… Capsule Corp is quite a spacious place… I can give the guys rooms on the opposite side of the dome…" She feigned thoughtfulness as she observed his reaction or concealing of such, as his eye brows narrowed and he sent her a last lingering glare.

"Manipulative bitch…" he hissed under his breath making her laugh and give him a brief peck on the lips before she marched on toward their next grocery.

"I love you too, sweetheart."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Four hours later, the girls were still in the kitchen, baking a cake, making the chicken and, due to ChiChi's strict prohibition of Bulma's hands touching any of the food for anything else, decorating the cookies. The heiress had been extremely hurt by ChiChi's bossiness and had taken the initiative to actually bake the cookies herself, but when no one in the kitchen could chew them as they were harder than rocks she had retreated, defeated, until her best friend's were done and she could finally make herself useful with something.

"I met Yamcha and Marron in the mall, by the way…" Juu said as she glanced at the chicken through the glass of the oven. Bulma's sapphire eyes fixed on her in an unreadable expression.

"And?" She urged her friend.

"And nothing – he asked me what I'm doing, I told him about the party and dissed him when he tried to bribe his way with us on New Year's since Marron is "too busy" at that time." Bulma looked out the window at that. "What, you can't possibly think you can have Yamcha _and_ Vegeta in the same room without an ambulance nearby?" The lavender haired girl glared at her sardonically.

"I was just… Well, let's face it, Marron's a bitch and Yamcha likes her a lot. It's just… not fair…"

"Oh, so it was fair when he cheated on you and nearly hurt you physically afterwards?" ChiChi jumped in the conversation, making Juu nod at her statement. Sighing in exasperation, Bulma rolled her eyes and got up from her seat at the table.

"Look guys, it may be a con of mine, but I'm always willing to forgive someone who's truly sorry for what they did, no matter what it is… And Yamcha's not that bad of a person at all… He was just frustrated at the time and all…"

"Yeah, whatever; I don't even care about the guy. All I know is that you shouldn't be so gullible."

"I'm not gullible!" Bulma argued, her facial muscles fixing in a tight frown. "The fact I believe more in people doesn't make me gullible!"

"Please!" ChiChi whirled around on her heel, the spatula she held now at her hip. "You're so easily fooled it is dejecting!"

"Now you're calling me easy too?" The heiress took a menacing step toward her best friend.

"What ChiChi wants to say, Bulma," Juuhachigou interfered before they could get in a worse hassle, "is that we won't always be there to stop you from doing something stupid or protecting you."

"I never said I _need_ your guidance!"

"Let's not get offensive…" ChiChi began, trying to soothe Juu's rising temper.

"Just understand that not _everyone_ wishes you everything best, Bulma! Is that _so hard_ to believe?"

"Juu, _I know that_! Okay? You're talking to someone that has been fending off annoying paparazzi since they started walking. I've read such filth about me and my family in papers, heard preposterous accusations on TV and a whole load of other shit. Do you think I'm _so damn stupid_ not to figure how jealous of my family's fortune those people are? But I've been with Yamcha forever, and I had shared some of my most special of moments with _him_. Why can't _you_ understand why I'm willing to forgive him? I mean, I have known _you_ for less time than I have known him and he was a close friend too! You know my history together with him and – by God – you didn't mind him a year ago!"

"Yes, Bulma, all of that is true, but a year ago he hadn't cheated on you." ChiChi explained. The lavender haired girl sat on her chair and crossed her hands over her chest.

"Whatever, guys; I don't want to consider this topic anymore with you. Why am I even saying all those things? I have the most wonderful boyfriend in city and possibly the whole world." She grinned at the remembrance of Vegeta. ChiChi resumed her cooking while Juu took out the chicken which released a teasing delicious smell that filled the entire kitchen.

"Now I can argue over that," ChiChi said as she moved to stirring some suspiciously-looking fluid.

"Don't start that one!" Bulma threatened. The rest of their girl-time the females spent joking, picking on their absent boyfriends and making Juuhachi promise to tell Krillin of her feelings tonight…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Four hours after the "mall disaster" – as Vegeta had kindly labeled it; – the three boys were busy moving the flame haired teen's powerful stereo in the spacious luxurious living room where their New Year's party would be held. Each speaker almost reached up to Vegeta's waist and that stereo had quite a past, what with the parties it had been present on and everything…

"I bet this baby costs a fortune." Krillin huffed a breath once he had put down the second speaker on a solid thick wooden table.

"More than a fortune actually," Goku corrected him as he sat down on the comfortable couch.

"I can't believe Vegeta let me touch it then, not to mention carrying it."

"He's too busy right now anyway." Goku shrugged, grabbing the remote to the huge plasma TV. Krillin cocked an eye brow at that as he sat himself too next to his friend.

"Where is he anyway? I haven't seen him since we got back from the mall."

"I don't know, but he said he has something to do before he comes over."

"Any idea what he meant?"

"Nope…" And that was about the whole of their conversation before they got too engulfed in a boxing match on Eurosport to talk…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The faint sound of the free line ringed once, then twice… If he had to wait too long, he would hang up soon; even though he wasn't doing this for himself his patience was still very limited.

"**_Hello?_**" he finally heard on the other line after the third ring.

"Yo, Tien, I need you to do something for me." He began, sitting down on the couch in his living room, flipping his cell phone to his left ear.

"**_I'm kinda busy right now man… Launch's over and you know how persistent she can be… But I'm listening anyway. What can I do for you, boss?_**" Now that was how he liked his people to act.

"Are you still into those pyrotechnical toys of yours?" He smirked evilly. If this went smooth enough, he'd surely get laid tonight again.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

It was already passing eight thirty pm and the table, the sweets and the drinks as well as the whole living room was ready for the party to begin. The whole gang was there and – even though he wouldn't admit it even if tortured in the worst ways you can imagine – Vegeta was truly _thankful_ Bulma's parents have gone off for a second honeymoon so the gang had the whole compound to themselves, free of nosy Mrs. Briefs-es and such…

"Oh, man; everything looks so delicious!" Krillin all but squealed as he dug into the chicken, making Juu boast with pride visibly.

"The chicken is my doing!" She gloated, making Goku laugh.

"All of them?"

"No, just this one…" she muttered. Having two guys with inhumane appetite and four ordinary people was quite hard work to fill the stomachs of. But ChiChi seemed not to mind the hard labour as she had three chickens ready, as well as a whole mount of other delicious treats pilled on the wide table they were residing in front of the TV where some of their favourite shows were now running.

"You've really outdone yourselves this time, girls." Goku complimented with a fish bone striking out of his mouth as he did so. ChiChi got ready to hit him over the head with a frying pan in Bulma's kitchen she had grown quite devoted to.

"And you're sure you didn't have anything to do with cooking all of this?" Vegeta made sure before biting on a french fry. Bulma flushed and dug into her salad.

"Yes, I am sure. All I did was chopping products."

"No wonder these don't really look alike…" He muttered when comparing two of the french fries in front himself. She elbowed him for that, making him chuckle and resume eating as everything was quite delicious…

"Christmas wasn't too bad, but I think tonight is going to be a lot better." ChiChi stated her opinion while slowly devouring her own salad.

"It's best when we're all together!" Goku exclaimed, snatching the rice in front himself.

"Well, yeah, it's what makes each day different from the other," Juu retorted sardonically to that, making Bulma crease a fine eye brow.

"You mind our company or something?"

"Nah, I'm already used to being bothered by you." The lavender haired girl hit her friend's shoulder playfully, causing a smirk to emerge on her features. "Besides, isn't this Vegeta's first New Year with all of us? I can recall Goku mentioning that the guys have crashed at his previous apartment last year or something."

"If I wanted to waste my time with people below my intelligence I can always gather my cronies." The skater grinned malignantly earning a glare from ChiChi,

"Of course; after all, you so much enjoy having your ass kissed, don't you?"

"Wouldn't you if you had the chance?" He inquired while reaching for the closest chicken.

"I doubt I would."

"Oh, come on, Chi!" Bulma exclaimed.

"What? What are you implying? I'm not like you guys!" The raven-head crossed her arms.

"Yeah, right you're not!" Juu snorted in laughter. "Need I remind you who was the one ordering me and Bulma around in that kitchen?"

"How does _that _prove anything?" The brunette defended.

"It proves you're as bossy and prideful as needed to have yourself enjoying being praised and having your ass kissed by people, some of which truly inferior than you are." Vegeta cleared, biting on some bread afterwards. ChiChi huffed and glared at him.

"And now you're going to say I'm as bitchy as you are and I'm going to strangle you." Vegeta laughed at her threat.

"No chance, small fry. Besides, you have no reason to be as cocky as I am." He flashed her the smuggest expression he could muster.

"Oh, and _you_ do?" Juu laughed.

"Of course I do! I'm the state's best skater, I'm befriended to people you can only dream of meeting in the real life, and just what the fuck is so damn funny?" The onyx eyes glared at his girlfriend who was hiding her titter behind her hand.

"You're doing it again."

"Doing _what_ again? I do lots of things, woman; clarify."

"You're being bossy and you're giving us the same lecture." She cleared her voice, mocking him as she scoffed, "I'm a big shot, you should bow before me or suffer the wrath of my monstrously huge ego tripping and falling on you! You'll be squished and I'll laugh over your motionless corpse, mwahahahaha!" She burst in laughter immediately after saying that, taking all four other inhabitants of the room with her.

"That's so true!" Krillin said between breaths.

"Yeah, laugh, laugh while you can…" Vegeta muttered, stuffing his mouth with fish.

"I can't believe it! He actually lets me win so easily! Oh my, miracles _do_ happen around the holidays then!" Bulma gasped tautly, making her friends fall into another fit.

"I'll show _you_ a miracle once we're alone in that room of yours." He grinned evilly, making his girlfriend's expression falter completely.

"Alright, change of topic before I gag my guts out!" ChiChi raised a hand to cut between the couple that usually engaged in some conversations that the gang would certainly prefer to skip if possible.

Bulma beamed with her radiant smile as she observed her friends, conversing and laughing with each other. She wasn't sure if it was modest for her to say or even think such a thing, but she couldn't help wondering if it wasn't all her fault they were all able to enjoy their mutual company as once all of them had been extremely anti-social and wished to have nothing to do with other human beings, dejected by how life had treated them up to that point.

ChiChi, her best friend, a temperamental full of enthusiasm and determination girl had once been ignored by most kids in kindergarten, because all of them had their loving mothers and fathers to pick them up and she had only a paternal parental unit who resembled a cask a very uncanny way. Boys and girls her age would mock her, isolate her from their games and have her bitter toward the whole world in general at such a young age. She'd start spewing venom whenever someone even neared her, no matter the age or size. And then Bulma had come into the brunette's life, doing everything with her and showing her that not everyone thought her weird because her mother had died so long ago and that the fact she could protect herself could be used for people she cared for as well…

Juuhachigou, the girl that wouldn't say a word to anyone in the start of high school, closed off to every soul, deep dark secrets eating on her heart. She blamed herself for having her twin brother labeled as juvenile criminal as their father died in a freak accident after he had tried to destroy his own offspring for the second time. But then Bulma had given her the advice to turn to the proper authorities, let the blonde call the best lawyer in the country and paying for his salary on Capsule Corporation expenses, and in no time Juunanagou's name was cleared and he was released from jail.

Krillin, who had once been completely unaware of how to treat people as he had lived on an extremely small island with his grandfather for his whole life, a tourist in the big town he had moved in when tutoring his nephew had become impossible for Mr. Roshi once the boy hit his teens. People would call him weird because of his bald head and the monkish eight dots on his forehead… Bulma had been one of the teasers too, but her innocent nature made the words sound… funny and she actually enjoyed the boy's company, bringing him into her little circle of close friends, domesticating him.

Goku on the other hand seemed to have always been a person with strong character, though you couldn't possibly tell at first glance at him. He would always laugh, smile, and encourage everyone in their time of need, though he would often get disappointed because of his naivety and incapability of judging people by their acts. Although he never gave up, he needed to be guided, to concentrate most of his energy on a small circle of people instead of wasting his good natured-ness on ingrates. That's when she introduced ChiChi to him and the two had become inseparable.

She wasn't really sure about Vegeta's place in the picture yet, as ChiChi seemed not to tolerate him much, but all she needed to know that she was slowly but surely making her way to him. The whole day was a perfect example that she was finally getting the idea of how to push his buttons, what made him tick, what made him what he was… Even though he was so protective of his past experiences she would be patient. And maybe with the time, her character would rub off on him as much as he rubbed off on her too…

"Houston, we have a problem here. We have a Bulma in orbit and we receive no response. Earth to Bulma, Earth to Bulma, do you copy me?" Juuhachi waved a hand in front of her friend's pointy nose making the girl snap out of her reverie and glare at her friend.

"_What_?"

"Come on, B! You can't miss this! The guys are bringing some proper music and we're having a contest!" ChiChi stood up, her and Juu pushing the table a little to the side so they could have room for their 'contest', whatever it was. "And I'm beating all your asses! I and Goku are winning this thing!" She flashed a twenty-four-carat smile, having Juu snort at her.

"Not a chance! There is no better dancer than me in the area."

"Which area do you specialize in? The pylons in pubs?" Bulma sniggered, high-fiving ChiChi.

"Ha-ha-ha, very funny," the blonde said sardonically just as Krillin returned, Goku and Vegeta hot on his trail.

"What is?"

"Juu will be stripping just for us, tonight!" ChiChi announced, barely missing Juu who had pounced on her. "Now, now, dear, I didn't know you had such urges, contain yourself if you please. I am a model woman after all." She smoothed her dress as if straightening unseen wrinkles on it.

"I'll give _you_ a model woman, you sleazy bitch…" The light-haired female tucked a stray strand behind her ear.

"Let's not get offensive, shall we? Thank you very much…" Bulma began and Krillin passed her the disks. That's the first time she noticed the fancy stereo in front of her. "Whoa, would you look at this beast… I think I'm in love." She snickered.

"Its affections are already directed elsewhere, woman." Vegeta announced haughtily.

"Shut up and help me beat those two loud mouths!" She hushed him, grabbing his hand to stand up.

And they did beat their loud mouthed friends because of sheer stubbornness to have themselves beaten…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

**11,50 pm…**

"It's really such a shame we can't see the fireworks that are on the other end of the city… I love fireworks…" ChiChi muttered as she rested her back against Goku's chest.

"Yeah, me too… I wish we could see them…" Bulma agreed from the floor where she lay with her feet striking in the air behind her and arms holding her chin with her elbows on Vegeta's chest, her 'chair' having a fish bone in his mouth, chewing on it in a bored manner.

"Where's the champagne?" Juu looked around from her armchair.

"I'll go bring it!" Krillin jumped ecstatically.

"I think he drank a few too many beers tonight." Vegeta muttered with closed teeth as not to drop his toy. Bulma glared at him. "What?"

"Spit that out already. It's not funny anymore."

"No one's asking you if you're having fun. What matters is that _I_ need to do something or I'll go nuts…" His head settled back in his hands crossed behind his neck, making his girlfriend glare at him again from her position over him. Grinning impishly, she played innocent and as if she had already dropped the subject, snatching the thing when he least expected and jumping to a salvation behind Goku and ChiChi's couch.

"Ha!" She yelled triumphantly, waving the thing at him as he bolted up as well. "Bet you wished you have _this_ right now, don'tcha?"

"Why you—"

"Hey, guys, help me get this thing open." Krillin called from the kitchen.

"Vegeta?" Goku gave his best friend a toothy pleading grin. He didn't feel like shaking ChiChi off as she had just made herself comfortable and, honestly, he was enjoying himself in that position too. Rolling his onyx eyes, Vegeta threw a menacing gaze at his girlfriend before he departed for Krillin's aid as the countdown till midnight began.

"Hurry up in there, will you?" Juu said as she inched her seat closer to the TV, seeing there were now only two minutes till New Year.

"Shut up, blondie." Vegeta scoffed, passing her a champagne filled glass. "When you get up your ass and actually do something you'll be allowed to boss this guy around." He pointed his chest to motion himself. Juuhachi raised an incredulous eye brow.

"Uh huh," she muttered as she heard a strange sound coming from the pocket of his loose dark jeans and she eyed the vibrating object with a dubious expression. "What the hell is that? Who's calling you _now_?" By the time Krillin had brought everyone a glassful of champagne and they were eagerly listening to the countdown,

"Ten…" Taking out his cell phone from his pocket, Vegeta opened the new message he had received.

'**_Go to the balcony,_**' it read. Waiting for the excited yell of "_One_!" followed by a "Happy New Year!" exclamation that echoed in the large room, his glass connected with all of his friends' in a mute toast, all of them taking a sip and each couple sharing a brief kiss.

"Do you hear that?" Bulma muttered a few seconds later, decreasing the volume of the TV to hear the suspicious sound.

"Sounds like explosions to me." Krillin responded, all five puzzled residents dashing for the balcony in time to witness the most beautiful fireworks they have ever seen.

"Didn't you say we can't see these things since they're so far?" ChiChi inquired, though the colourful flames of the fireworks reflected in her excited eyes. Bulma lifted her shoulders in nonplus.

"I did and I mean it. I'm never able to see those things from over here… And just why are you grinning like that, Goku? Never seen fireworks before?"

"You managed to convince Tien? Oh, man, I'm so happy! I haven't seen his doing in _years_!" The teen in question exclaimed toward his best friend who had now sat himself on the couch. Bulma whirled around to look at Vegeta's indifferent expression, his glass in one hand and his head in the other.

"It was really easy actually. All it took was have him do me a little 'favour' and he was really willing to oblige. Can you imagine that saying words I rarely mention have such impact on people?" He grinned devilishly as he observed all three of the girls practically swoon at the sight.

It was true; Tien's work was always a masterpiece that caught your breath in your throat. The multi-coloured explosions, one after another, one created by the other, chain-reactions and beautiful start dust falling over the city made you gawk in awe. However, it was usually a very expensive pleasure for the eyes… Although, for people that knew no boundaries that was not a problem. Not to mention that Vegeta was a close friend with the provider…

As he enjoyed his majestic superior feeling he had in that moment, he was caught completely off-guard by Bulma who practically jumped in his lap, her arms wrapping themselves around his neck with her glass secure between her fingers as she pressed herself close against him, glee glistening on her face.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She exclaimed. She could recall whining about not being able to see the fireworks a day or two ago, but she thought he hadn't been listening anyway. The surprise was quite touching and hit the right spot…

"Whatever woman; you can _show_ me just how thankful you are tonight." He whispered huskily against her lips before she dissipated the distance between them. She'd show him even several times if he wanted…

And he had just given her another reason to believe that she had, indeed, the most wonderful boyfriend in the whole selfish world…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

_A/N: **Read my bio for "Chapter Status"! Important matter!**_

Chapter 18 took a whole month to get written. Chapter 19 only two weeks and this one not even a week. This should mean something to you about just how much your fast response has me jump into action again. ;)

Sorry for any stupid mistakes, they will be edited later.

This chapter was so that you can feel their spirit when they're together, their conversations and all. ;) **_Next chapter will reveal the Hailie part of Vegeta's past, the whole deal between them and just why I turn so much attention to the fact she coughs all the time. _**

Please be so nice like you were for the previous chapter… Please, please, please…

**(faints from back-pains due to long period of sitting on a chair in front of computer)**


	21. Ch21: Hailie and Vegeta

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Twenty-One: Hailie and Vegeta – A Couple Never Meant To Be_

Even though Christmas Eve and New Year's had been a bang (literally), as soon as school started again Vegeta resumed his odd behaviour yet again. Although Bulma couldn't complain about lack of his attention, he seemed even less concentrated on anything than his usual artist-like absent-mindedness. They saw each other on daily basis, like couples should, talking (even though Bulma was the one that did most of the talking, but that was how it was before as well), walking together and making out, like couples should, at home, she could see that he had all of his possible defenses up against her and that he had placed some space between them that she couldn't penetrate through no matter how hard she might try.

It was all getting really weird when added his edginess, more than the usual grumpiness and his obvious restless state of mind. What confirmed her suspicions that his nerves suffered some sort of turmoil was the amount of cigarettes he subverted every goddamn day. He was the living and breathing (surprisingly though, considering the amount of tobacco that attacked his lungs on daily basis) incarnation of what you can call a chimney-stage smoker. The occasions when she didn't actually see him with a smoke in hand were so rare she couldn't even remember them. Even his skating buddies were starting to get worried about him.

However, being Vegeta, he naturally denied that anything was going on and blamed it all on… well, he didn't actually give her a reason to blame his behaviour on and that was what disturbed her most. Whenever she asked, he kept repeating like a parrot "I'm fine", "I'm fine"! She was becoming fed up with all of that and wished he would entrust her with some of his weight so he'd finally feel like having a mature relationship, because she was sure that this was what theirs was and since neither looked like close to a thought such as ending it she assumed they'd keep seeing each other even after graduation.

Though, she tried not to think of graduation, because it made her sad, knowing that most of her friends, being sharp and quite intelligent people and perfect in at least one area (while her boyfriend was a natural talent at _everything_, the thought made her all giddy and giggly with pride every time she remembered), would scatter all over the world to become better in the thing they like doing best and plan to continue doing for a living too.

How things developed after a few weeks since returning to school was a more intriguing issue…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

On a Wednesday like any other, Bulma visited the bathrooms during lunch for a refreshing splash of water against the face, a quick make-up check or just plain fooling around while she waited for the bell to signal the end of her break. She watched in the mirror in front of her as the trickles of water ran down her face, slid on the sides of her sink and got devoured by the siphon. She was surrendering to the tranquility of the restroom when the silence was shattered as the door to her temporary sanctuary burst open, giving entrance to a quite infamous girl, though Bulma could hardly find herself hating the female as she seemed engaged in what appeared to be nasty coughing fit.

"Of all the fucked up timings," the lavender haired heiress heard the girl wheeze out between coughs in a tone that suggested she was actually just talking to herself. Soon her lungs and throat relaxed and she removed her trembling hand from her mouth and finally noticed the inheritress' presence.

Neither bothered the courtesy to greet the other as it was clear to each of them they couldn't stand each other, if even only for the fact they wanted one and the same man for themselves. Mutely Hailie made her way toward a sink and drank some water to lubricate her throat before she picked up her cell phone from her loose navy jeans. The other occupant of the room turned on her heel and prepared to waltz out of the place and the evil aura that washed over her from the other girl but something subconscious made her linger at the door as she half-ignored the female's conversation with the person on the other line.

"Rain, honey, I'm really sorry to disturb you right now and I know you have lots of things to do and—" Her tirade obviously got interrupted by the guy she was talking to as her eyes darkened with a dozen emotions rising in her gut. "I know you said I shouldn't call you when you work but I'm feeling dreadfully today and I don't have a ride to the hospital for my check up…" she trailed off, feeling the familiar sickening bile rise in her throat and she instantly fell into another fit, more vicious than the previous one. "Can't you—" she choked on her cough after that; "Can't you make an exception for me this once?"

Hailie's dejected expression flashed in the mirror's reflection before her hand lost hold on her cell which collapsed in the sink in front of her with a sickening crack, but the girl was too busy clasping her hand to her mouth as she seemed to find it hard to get any oxygen to her lungs. Her knees gave in from beneath her and she crashed in a boneless heap on the floor, her fingers the only solid part of her body against her parted lips… as if hiding something…

Bulma's eye brows lifted with pity for the suffocating girl and even though she was still nowhere near liking her if she left now she'd feel bad about it later… Curse her active conscience and her good nature.

Composing herself, the lavender haired female crouched down next to Hailie, placing a careful hand on the suffering girl's shoulder. The auburn head lifted to look at the impostor of her privacy only to meet with the concerned sapphire gaze of her ex-boyfriend's new conquest that she so despised. The self-conscious smile that curved the exotically hair-coloured girl's lips made the other female feel even worse than she did already.

"I really hate to admit eavesdropping, but I couldn't help overhearing you can use a ride to the hospital?"

The emerald eyes sparkled with so many feelings ablaze and, if she didn't know any better, Bulma could've sworn she saw them well up before Hailie nodded slowly but buried her face in her hands soon afterwards as another fit hit her like a brutal punch in the ribcage.

Slowly, as if handling a glass doll, Bulma rose to her fit with the other girl's arm over her shoulders, pulling her towards the road where she de-capsulated her car and drove her patient towards the hospital of her choice…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

As she exited the cabinet, Hailie didn't look much better than she did at school, but she was smiling. More like attempting to smile, but instead it turned out like an ugly grimace of pain.

"So?" Bulma urged as she got up and the emerald eyes of the other present female landed on her as if focusing her for the first time since coming out of the cabinet… which was quite the truth. Hailie was puzzled as to why exactly would Bulma Briefs, a girl whose life she tried her best to make as bitter as possible, was now sitting in the foyer of the huge white hospital, waiting for her to come out to make sure she was okay…

…Maybe now Hailie began to understand slightly just why Vegeta had fallen for that girl.

"It's nothing out of the ordinary, really; I just got a few additional pills to take this evening and—" Bulma's shocked expression as if she was being strangled fazed Hailie.

"'_Nothing out of the ordinary'_? What the hell are you talking about? You could've _died_ of lack of oxygen there and you say it's nothing out of the ordinary?"

"It happens all the time as you may have noticed. I stopped worrying a long time ago." Hailie informed her as the two girls made their way over to Bulma's car parked in the hospital's parking lot.

"You stopped worrying? How can you stop worrying over something so _huge_? Do you know what it is? Do you know how to fix it?" The lavender haired girl fired question after question like a machine gun, suddenly obviously forgetting all about their feud in earlier days. The other girl smiled kindly at her feet. Bulma was truly a nice girl… maybe now she would be able to let go of it… after all, she had her darling—

"I told you already, stop worrying about me. I might start thinking you're actually nice!" She joked as she shut the door to the passenger side. Bulma creased a cocky eye brow with a skeptical smirk as she strapped herself with her seatbelt.

"You sound so much like Vegeta it can actually be scary."

Hailie laughed heartily at that. "Do I?" she asked rhetorically afterward, but the impact the girl's words had on her was far greater than what she was willing to admit to a total stranger, be it Vegeta's new girlfriend or not… It was true – they were so alike… Their fates were similar, their past was sort of similar in several aspects and… well, with the difference that Vegeta's future wasn't as clear as hers was…

An annoying high-pitched melody rang in the stillness of the car, pulling the brooding girl out of her thoughts as she realized that her cell phone was vibrating against her chest-pocket.

"Don't worry yourself," she repeated over the phone after she had seen the ID the same phrase she chorused since she got out of the doctor's office. "Everything's fine, progressing as it should." There was a short pause on her side of the line as she listened to her counterpart's words. "No, I couldn't _walk_ there on my own, which was why I called you." Another uncomfortable pause passed with the fine eye brows furrowing over the green orbs but the malice in them disappeared in the batter of an eye lash before she said, "No, that's okay honey… A—" she paused, not really sure how to continue.

What was Bulma to her? Just a class-mate? Perhaps so, but not completely true of a statement. A school-mate? Maybe an acquaintance even? The girl in question had her ears perk up at the realization her passenger was referring to her, interested as to how she would call her…

"—A friend took me to the hospital."

Unconsciously, the cerulean-eyed girl felt the corners of her mouth curl upwards to form a breathless warming smile she directed at the road she was focusing on, being the model driver she was. What she didn't realize was that the other inhabitant of the car was also smiling in the phone, and not at the person on the other side of the line.

A friend in need is a friend indeed…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The days passed after the incident and Bulma and Hailie proved to be quite better at socializing with each other than either would have admitted if asked. However, theirs was a friendship borne out of treason and lack of help when one most needed it, and after helping the girl out of feminine solidarity, the receiver felt obliged to return with the same, keeping contact with the lavender haired vixen, yet staying as far away from her boyfriend as possible, knowing what Vegeta's reaction to her presence would be. Although avoiding him wasn't really all that hard – the two were hardly together at school, if they even shared a "good morning" at the beginning of the day… It seemed truly puzzling and disturbing from the side and the whole gang was beginning to worry for the lavender head's feelings… as was the girl herself worrying about her relationship and what it was coming to.

Sure enough she should've been used to the constant ups and downs, but this was a down she had the dreaded feeling they wouldn't overcome. Over time, mere weeks, Vegeta had become more distant than ever, the circles beneath his eyes no longer ignorable. There was a vice around Bulma's heart and it clenched it in its iron grip every time she met those ghostly onyx orbs, devoid of any emotion other than exasperation and utter exhaustion of life in general.

Yet no matter how obvious his treason, he still wouldn't speak a word to her though, thankfully, kept coming back to her, her room that held this absorbing smell of wild flowers that she often adorned herself with and to her presence, which seemed in an hour's time to soothe his raging mind and spirit from whatever was worrying him. But as time progressed, he stayed for less and less time with her, a fact she couldn't possibly fathom… If she helped him that way, without even 'bugging him', as he liked to refer it as, why wouldn't he at least stay with her, if he wouldn't open up to her?

She was getting more and more confused every following day… and soon her sleepless nights increased greatly in number as well…

Something had to be done… She had to help, help him, so she could help herself too, even though her 'selfish-o-meter' was running really low the last month or so.

But she didn't have a clue what was worrying him… She didn't have clue what was going on in that thick skull of his and he looked like he didn't plan on telling her any time soon either…

Great, just great… There went her peace of mind, utterly out of her grasp…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Yellow is _so_ not your colour! I, the almighty Princess Hailie, forbid you to wear this top _ever_ again, low-class!" The auburn headed girl laughed mirthlessly at her attempted joke but noticed that her interlocutor's eyes weren't even focused on an object in the hall, if not her. "What's wrong with you? You look out of it." Her voice switched to its usual stern serious mode. Bulma shook her head when she realized she had been found out and she smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, I was just spacing out and—"

"That may slip with your goofy goons of friends, but not with me. Come on, just spit it out, it will make you feel easier." The female slurped of her machine-made cocoa. Thank goodness for that thing… Before, even considering buying a drink from the canteen lady was considered utter madness when you just so much as imagined what it would taste like…

Bulma surprised herself by not minding the 'goofy goons' remark, knowing that Hailie just plainly didn't accept any of her friends at all… as they didn't accept Bulma's newfound friendship with the auburn head. But they had no say in her personal life or who she associated with, so none of their feuds really mattered to her…

"I don't know if you'll want to hear this, because if I was you, I would certainly feel awful if I had to consider a matter such as this one with my ex's new girlfriend which I hated at the start…"

"Quit the noble act already and just say what's up your ass so we can get this over with…" Used to that sort of talking from her boyfriend already, the lavender haired minx released a pained sigh.

"Vegeta's in the thinnest state I have ever seen him, without turning into a 'wimp state', like he called it, his clothes reek of cigarettes and he no longer stays in the same place for more than half an hour… He skips classes, drives teachers insane without even amusing himself by doing so and I have no idea why he has those heavy rings under his eyes." The heiress buried her head in her crisscrossed hands on the table and let out a strangled tearless sob. "I don't know what to do anymore, Hailie! I'm losing him… And I was thinking that maybe… maybe you could help me; give me an advice why he's acting that way, or something. Has he ever done something like that before?" The cerulean eyes glazed with a thin sheen on salty liquid that the stubborn inheritress refused to let flow freely down her snow white skin. Her desperation was so heart-wrenching and so easy for Hailie to relate to that she had to avert her gaze from the pathetic sight the proud Bulma Briefs had been reduced to… just because Vegeta was too cocky to admit—

"Yes, I'm afraid it has…" The emerald orbs caught sight of a painfully familiar erect jet-black tresses and a muscle under her eye lid convulsed when she noticed that Bulma's whole crew was approaching the lunch table that the two girls were currently residing. "I'll come over at your place tonight and talk to you about it, okay?" She got up just in time to brush past a very annoyed spiky-haired teenager. He looked… truly insane at that moment and it was very intimidating in all honesty… "Vegeta, can I—"

"Shut up and get out of my sight before I decide full moon is not necessary for me to kill you without a goddamn regret." He dropped himself heavily onto the bench next to Bulma as the others blinked weirdly away, hoping that "kill you" was just a figure of speech.

As the girl's sulking form retreated out of earshot in a mad coughing fit again, Vegeta growled and threw his girlfriend a glare.

"I don't like you associating with her. I forbid you to talk to her anymore!"

Bulma's eyes narrowed dangerously at his words and a vicious argument unfolded from that demand of his, but it was a malignant one, not the usual sport-like bickering.

It was clear – a dark cloud had settled sternly above the couple's relationship with no intention of leaving any time soon if it depended on the male…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Bulma's foot tapped nervously against the floor of her comfortable house which was considerably emptier than usual with her chirpy mother out for groceries (it was an enigma to the teenage girl as to why her mother would want to do it herself when they had servants that could take care of that) and her father probably asleep over his latest (greatest as was every single one of his inventions) blue-print.

Something slammed against her front door – definitely not the sign she expected to know she had a guest. Dashing for the door, she gasped loudly when she saw the condition the female beyond it was in.

"Oh my God, what happened? You're bleeding!" She exclaimed in complete panic, helping the other girl in the nearest seat possible, about to search for a First Aid kit before her wrist was caught by Hailie's hand.

"I'm sorry I'm late… but this time it was worse than usual… couldn't see where I was going…" She coughed so hard her throat throbbed with pain.

"What are you talking about? Let me go! I have to go and get the kit to fix up your wound—"

"There isn't a wound you can actually see, Bulma… Just relax and sit down…" The blood smeared over the light blue top of the auburn headed female was a cruel urge for the girl at her front to get to her feet anyway, no matter what the delirious chick meant, and find that damned First Aid kit! "I'll get to that part once you start listening to me… It's nothing you can help…"

"What do you mean?" All of a sudden, Bulma's hear started swimming into a helpless state. Hailie just chuckled at her expression.

"I'll get to that… So… Where should I start from? The very beginning perhaps would be the best choice…" She pushed herself up a bit, making herself comfortable in the love-seat in the middle of the Capsule Corporation living room. If someone had told her months ago that she would be sitting here, about to do what she planned, she would've laughed in their face and labeled them mad. But she didn't find it funny now… It was far from funny… Her small fists were clenched tightly to keep the gore in her palms from smearing over the expensive cushion seat. "I'll just warn you now – I'm just going to tell you about my and Vegeta's past, and nothing about his personal one. That I'll leave for him to unveil, even though I promised I wouldn't open my mouth about our relationship either."

"Why?" Bulma couldn't stop herself from asking, causing a weird joyless smirk to appear on the other girl's face.

"Because he's still embarrassed from what happened, he's still bitter and dwelling over it, subconsciously looking for resemblances to what had already happened to him and what is currently happening."

"Is that why he's straining from me?"

"Let's not ask any questions, okay?" Bulma nodded self-consciously, realizing that she was getting ahead of herself in her nervous state. It had all been too much for her for the last few days.

"I'll keep quiet until you finish." She promised obediently, making Hailie smirk in superiority, a smirk Bulma recognized well…

"That's a good girl…" Her triumphant expression evaporated in thin air as if it had never been and she adopted a thoughtful frown. "First of all, I should begin with the fact that my mother never really wanted me, even when she had given birth to me. All she used me for was a tool to get the child-support money the country offered her as a compensation for the fact she was a single mom. And so, to her, I was just a money-making machine and she treated me as such. My wishes and dreams didn't matter to her, the fact I was famishing was of no importance to her and it seemed as if my existence was only a burden to her, even though she could've ended my life before it even began…

Even so, I never gave up on trying pleasing her as much as I could, to be of some help to her – I had specialized on doing chores at the mere age of four, forced by the circumstances I was raised under… Anyway, what she did to me with her ugly hateful words to my labile psyche doesn't have relevance in the case. What matters is that she soon started drinking all the money she got away, turning to even hurting me physically. I would've lived that way, even if I would grow into an unhealthy, quiet and mentally damaged child… but the authorities had another thing in mind. They stripped my mother of her custody over me, hence taking away her only tool to make some money… She didn't take it well. She even tried to fight an officer in her drunken delirious state…

But even though that, I was taken to an orphanage the very same day, thinking that, at last, I had found salvation for my wretched soul, a soul my mother always claimed foul and impure whenever she saw me with her blood-shot eyes… But soon my transfer seemed to only make things worse… I was treated equally as horribly, but I had to do a whole lot of chores – those of thirty or so children that resided the place, all bigger and stronger than me at the time – and for just a tiny glass of juice, a slice of bread and a porridge dish every day. I was humiliated, taunted and picked on by practically ever single one of those retards. I spent quite an amount of time there, three entire years, and at the age of twelve when I was quite ready to put my misery to an end a kind old man had mercy upon my soul, adopting me…

That time was perhaps the happiest, most content year of my life I had ever felt… The man was so considerate, affectionate… He treated me as a child of his own since he had no children…" Hailie sighed for a pause, her eyes fluttering closed, perhaps to imprison the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. "Anyway… We lived in poverty, which I was quite used to at the time, but at least, for the first time in my life, I realized that… perhaps I wasn't as unlovable as my mother had always screamed at me… Perhaps I wasn't as dreadful of a person the women at the orphanage claimed me to be… Maybe I was a good child… Maybe the curse had lifted from me, left me to finally have a decent life.

But I had been too soon to feel grateful and happy… Grandpa passed away a month after my birthday, leaving me just enough money to live for a few more years without starvation and lacking anything vitally important. But I couldn't just leave him there, to rot in the ground… The man meant the world to me, he was the greatest person I had ever encountered, someone whom I met understanding in.

And so, I buried him properly, made a funeral, chose a coffin and sent him off to a better world, as I knew he had deserved going there…

By the time, I was already in my first school, in a high school near the apartment I lived in with Grandpa, and I met a gang of the greatest three boys you can ever think of." She beamed at the thought, making Bulma's tension face turn into a slight smile as well. "Vegeta, Goku and Rain – the most troublesome trio you could think of when you hear "high school bad boys"."

"Goku had a "bad boy" attitude?" Bulma laughed at the incredulousness of the statement. Despite herself, even Hailie chuckled.

"Yes, well, he was more like trying to put up with Rain and Vegeta more than anything. The three were barely separable, what with them all being together since kindergarten, even though Goku went to a different high school than the other two. They had some sort of pact, I think – if Goku didn't come see him every day, they'd go visit him… All in all, it was the most perfect picture of friendship you could've ever seen, considering all of those boys' childhoods and all…" Bulma's eye brows furrowed. Life was truly a bitch… "Anyway, they accepted me in their clique, little by little, all of us being the outcasts of our class. We were just plain different from all of the rest of them – independent, loyal and truthful amongst each other. We did everything together: threw private parties only for the lot of us, organized different activities to all have fun together – skiing, clubbing, things a normal teenager would enjoy. We always, always together; each knew the other better than anyone else in the entire world. Our little community was tidy enough for us to be considered one being rather than three different people that had united together to form a group.

But the money I had spent for a funeral instead of myself proved to have a vicissitude difference… My stomach refused to accept food before long and I was in bed for the whole summer vacation before the tenth grade. Both Rain and Vegeta whom I was more befriended to visited me, but when my case worsened only Vegeta remained a permanent visitor. It was clear – I would soon die… but he refused to believe it, tutored me when I stopped going to school when the year began and even decided on getting a part-time job to fund my stay at a hospital, where they would take decent care of me…

…And so, with our funds combined, I managed to get into the hospital. And even in my exhausted state while in there I could see the light and hope in his eyes, the desperation of his for me to stay alive, to stay at his side… And I took the lessons he gave me, memorized every little thing he did. He barely parted with me for a few hours for school, where he slept too," she laughed at the memory, "before he came back again. In no time, we had covered the whole tenth grade material, and, not having anything better to do, he continued on, towards the eleventh, the last of high school and I even managed calculus before I exited the facility! I couldn't even grasp the thought at the time… I was eternally grateful to him… But things only began to mess up in a global way from there…

I was mad at Rain for not even seeing me at the time, for not even caring enough to come and see me for the last time when I thought I was dying… since he was the boy I had my eyes on from the three of them ever since I saw them all sitting on a bench in the front of the school building… His character was slightly different than Vegeta's… He rarely smiled truly, but he did, while it seemed that his best friends' face was doomed for eternity not to show such an emotion… Rain was caring and considerate too, though he was more open to people he called friends than Vegeta was… Minor things like that which make a huge difference when you see the overall result in attitudes and personality, as well as the general view of the individual over life. Anyway, my relationship with Rain doesn't really matter right now… What mattered was the thing I suspected when he first suggested his help – Vegeta wanted us to be together. He was tenderer than ever after I exited the hospital, kind and caring." She noted Bulma's dropped jaw. "It sounds incredible how much a girl can change a boy, doesn't it?" She smiled… it was a sad pained smile. "But my health problems didn't cease there…

Anyway, soon Vegeta and I became an item, but I never really expressed the same feelings he did for me… I played haughty, hard-to-get even though we were already together but that seemed only to encourage him more… He just couldn't let go… I wanted to make him forget about me, that I didn't want to hurt him… And at the same time, he made me feel ever worse, dirtier, because my thoughts couldn't part from his best friend whom I knew I had fallen for at first sight… What's worst is that I neglected all our emotions selfishly, staying together with Vegeta for two years straight… Two years until I couldn't stand the pressure and told Rain about how I felt, which was at the end of eleventh grade… What hurt me even more was that he shared the same feelings… and I couldn't make it, I couldn't stay faithful to my man and cheated on him with his best friend…

I felt like a whore for doing so, realizing that I have delivered a huge blow to Vegeta's personality… He had been lurid, brooding and perpetually angry before, but perhaps he had seen the light when he met me, a straw given to a drowning man to hold onto, thinking that maybe if he opened up his heart to me and accepted someone, he could mend the scars of his pasts… Bulma, he even told me about his deepest secrets, gave me a perfect view to all his internal turmoil, suffering, happiness and made me know of the things that pleased him… only to have all of them thrown back in his face by two of the people he trusted most in his entire life, seeing how great a mistake he had made with choosing _us_ to entrust a tiny burden of his life with…

He was ready to spend the rest of my life with me, giving me as much as I was willing to take, to make my days happy and content… only to have those feelings unrequited by a selfish wench who couldn't think of anyone but herself… I hated myself, I hated the way my mind functioned, and I hated myself for making him like this… He became completely distrustful of everyone, never again said a nice thing to anyone but Goku, and didn't even find a reason to _smirk _for a whole year, refusing himself any sort of amusement, never again helped anyone because he made no friends in fear of being hurt again… He became more paranoid than ever, hated the world more than ever… and I made him hate and lose belief in love forever… He swore he would never again be swindled by a "witch's charms", like he put it, and so… he couldn't look at either of us – Rain or me – and just transferred to your school. And, well, I guess that's most of my story. After he fled, I wanted to make things up to him, perhaps, refusing to believe that love could be shattered so easily… in a day's time… But, obviously, blinded by my stupidity at the time and lost in my own little world, I had forgotten what Vegeta was like – thick-headed, determined, showing absolutely no weakness for you to use against him, stubborn and a perfect model of what people call a loner…"

Once Bulma recovered partially from the initial shock, she recoiled, "It weren't selfish!" Her words surprised the other girl obviously. "What you did was stupid, true… You should've talked to him about it before you jumped in bed with his best friend… but you all couldn't deceive each other by saying you were all fine with the situation you were in. If one doesn't have a peace of mind, one has nothing! It is better for you to be separated rather than have yourself crucified by your own mind for not acting upon your feelings…" After the thought submerged, the inheritress recalled another fact in the girls' speech that had puzzled her. "Did you mean that Vegeta proposed to you?" She couldn't believe it. Her Vegeta, proposing marriage? Hailie's emerald eyes blinked in incomprehension.

"What did he propose? You mean marriage?" A curt nod followed her question. "By heaven's name, _no_. We were only seventeen, for goodness' sake." She tittered mirthlessly, making Bulma quirk an eye brow.

"Then what did you mean till the end of your days?" The sapphire eyes scrutinized the other girl, making her smirk strangely.

"You're quite the observant one, aren't you? I hoped I could skip that part…"

"Was it something about your health that you mentioned earlier?"

"Yes, quite so; in fact it is the same thing because of which I didn't let you go get the kit." She looked at her palms which now only held the dried crimson liquid from earlier. "A month or so after I exited the hospital, I started having those coughing fits that you can recognize too by now. It was odd, it hurt like hell and it seemed quite permanent. So Vegeta made me go check and see what was wrong with me, thinking it was some flu which I only had to buy the right medication for to fix it… And so I went, but the results I received were far from what we expected…" She took a deep shaky breath, her nervousness speaking of her flashback to that exact moment she was referring to. "My tired body had been the perfect environment for any virus to live in… but the anorexia was a quite different case…"

"Elaborate, if you please?" Bulma urged when the next pause the girl took was too long for her cliff hanging state of mind.

"The seemingly cureless anorexia that I had suffered had made my organism the perfect prey for one of the many deadly diseases I had never received vaccine against. Bulma, the blood you see on my hands and top isn't from a wound… I _cough_ blood, and recently it has become worse than ever as the illness is fast progressing to a critical state…" Her listener's eyes were wide as she stared at the story-teller, whose eyes were devoid of emotion, a vacant stare in her emerald orbs as she raised her eyes to meet the other girls' gaze. "I have tuberculosis, Briefs… and I have a certain ticket for the next dimension… The last check with the doctors you gave me a ride for assured me that I won't make it to my twentieth birthday…"

The only audible sound after the statement was made was a sharp gasp Bulma cut short with her hand clasping her open mouth, as if the action could preserve the tears from cascading down her cheeks…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

_There you have it, folks, all you Hailie haters. Lol; I bet none of you thought that when you said "Die, Hailie, you bitch!" I'd literally kill her. I hope that now you don't hate her as much as you did and see why I don't hate her either. Sorry if the writing was sloppy… I just can't wait till I get to Vegeta's entire life story… It's going to be a long chapter and I don't know when it will be. Probably next one or the one after it… Either way, please be so kind and review again and tell me what you think!_

_Yours sincerely, Dark Hope Assassin._


	22. Ch22: The Price of Control

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Twenty-Two: The Price of Control_

The long silence stretched over the pair as mute tears made wet trails down the porcelain white skin of the heiress to Capsule Corporation. It was information she hadn't been ready for, hadn't expected and certainly had never seriously wish for her companion… It was something she didn't wish her worst enemies…

Death…and at such a fragile age! She wouldn't make it to her twenties… She would never have a child, she would never have a loving husband… she'd never know a decent love with the person to whom she could see Hailie was more than willing to give her life's worth to… A strong wave of… no, it wasn't pity… it was pure grief… She grieved her recent friend's early departure from this life… She grieved for all that Hailie had the potential to be… She couldn't let this end this way… She couldn't…! She _wouldn't_!

Removing her hand from her mouth and angrily brushing away her tears with the back of her shaky slim fingers, the inheritress jumped to her feet, a determined glare in her still watery eyes as she launched herself for her room, leaving her guest to her thoughts for only but a minute time, bringing back a sheet of paper and a pen to write with.

"What is that for?" Hailie couldn't help asking. That was certainly not the reaction she had expected. She had known the girl for less than an entire school year, had only made her miserable for more than half the time they'd first met each other and now… what was she doing anyway? She was scribbling something very intently, her usually beautifully legible writing reduced to a boyish penmanship.

"You will go to this address," Bulma began, but paused as she cautiously wrote the address in question, careful not to write down the numbers and letters wrongly, "and you will say that Bulma Briefs sent you for immediate check up. They won't ask any questions, I assure you, as does this," she muttered, almost in a mad-woman-like way as she finished her sentence with her signature at the bottom of the prescription. "Once they see it, they will do as this says. And when you get the results, bring them to me, _immediately_."

"Bulma, what are you talking about?" Hailie asked exhaustedly, relaxing back in the couch and taking a deep unsteady breath as she did so. She was just so tired… She just wanted to lie down and wait for it until it came… She couldn't go on any longer… Her body grew ever weaker with each strangling breath her tired lungs took in… It was killing her – slowly, but surely. All this anxiety, expectation, and anticipation of the worst… it was so draining… "I am sick and tired of doctors. All they ever say is "I'm sorry", "I'm sorry but we can do nothing for you" and shit of the sort. I am _so_ tired of all of it, Briefs… Don't be that way too…"

"I will not let you die on me!" The other girl startled her with her angry clenched fist slammed on the table by them. She was even further taken aback to see the tears present in Bulma's eyes again as she continued, "I will not let you just go! I will not let you die! I refuse to believe it before I _myself_ can't do any more to reverse it!"

"You can't possibly do anything for it, Bulma; it's been going on for ages—"

"_Stop talking to me as if this is something unimportant!_" Her infuriated shriek scared her father's cat which ran away from under the couch she was residing. "_Stop taking me lightly! Stop talking to me as if I can do nothing! I will not let you die, you hear?_" She sobbed mutely, burying her face in her hands. "I don't even know why I'm so… so frustrated over this… You wouldn't understand…" She muttered to her wrists. "He… he _loved_ you, and he still _cares_ for you… You have a boyfriend… his _best friend_ who was ready to stab the most important person in his life just because the guy cared even more about you than Vegeta did…" Another strangled sob escaped her throat hoarsely. "How can you take people's feelings so lightly? How can you give up so easily when neither of them has given up? How can you… how can you not treasure all that you have managed?"

The emerald eyes averted to the window, sightless. She didn't know what to say. She had never allowed herself to think of Vegeta any more, or of the certain death that would come for her about months from now… She couldn't bear the pain it inflicted her, thinking of her Rain… the unshakable cocky bastard… crying for her… with tears strolling down the sides of his beautiful face as he watched the coffin in possession of her body descend into the ground. She moaned and rubbed her temples, trying to rid herself of the atrocious mental image. She didn't want to think of these things, she didn't want to think of how her quitter's nature when things got serious could possibly hurt the two people in her life that she treasured most… How could she live the last of her days with those thoughts in mind? It was simply impossible!

"I will not let you die on me, you hear?" Bulma repeated, once again composing herself, miraculously. The younger girl's strength fascinated Hailie and she couldn't help the curve her lips were forming. She sniffed loudly and grinned fully at her newfound friend now.

"Thanks… for everything, Bulma… I… I can't believe you actually…" She couldn't finish the sentence. The emotions were overwhelming her. She felt so terrible… She felt such an ugly creature by heart for her distrusting nature towards people, because of her initial hatred for the girl that actually made happy the man she couldn't… the man she no longer needed, as much as it hurt her to refer to him that way… Yet Bulma wanted him, she needed him, as much as she now needed her boyfriend… She needed his comfort, she needed to see him, to have him embrace her and assure her that Bulma Briefs was but magician and once she set her mind into something, the young lady would certainly succeed, without a doubt! Finally, the tears started threatening her eyes as well. The other girl laughed lightly.

"It's all fine. I just have a good sixth sense for things of the sort, you can say." The two of them laughed again, brushing their faces with the backs of their hands. "Of course, I'm just starting yet! Don't think that you will get rid of me so easily! You'll be seeing a lot more of me now!"

"I hate it when I have to tell someone about all this shit… It tends to always turn into a mushy scene at the end…" The lavender haired female tittered merrily at the statement; much assured from the other's laughter that she too believed that everything would be fine from now on. After all, one had to believe in life's small miracles to continue living properly, right?

"How can you call _this_ mushy?" The heiress asked mock-accusingly. "This is some serious shit, girl, you have to be serious!"

"Yeah, I know…" Hailie wiped her hands in her clothes, deciding that they were already ruined anyway… She'd have to change first thing she got to her apartment. "But if you take life too seriously, things get ugly again anyway."

There was a sudden insistent ring at the door which startled the girls out of their conversation, hurling another stretched silence over them as their eyes locked both wearing firmly startled looks. The ringing did not cease, yet reduced to mere half a minute intervals as the two girls did not move from their seats.

"Who the hell is that? My parents aren't due for tonight and all my friends are out…" Bulma muttered as Hailie checked her cell phone only to find a few dozen missed calls. She grinned nervously as she viewed the ID and flicked her phone closed back inside her pocket.

"I think that's my boyfriend… and he's pissed… or in a hurry. I hope it's the second. Either way, it's time I go home." She grinned apologetically as she got up. Bulma returned the polite smile as she too got up after her guest, redirecting herself towards the front door.

"That's alright, Hei. I'll see you again tomorrow with those results, I hope?" She said almost intimidating, taking a step closer to the other girl, who only let out a chuckle.

"Sure, boss, whatever you say."

Actually, though Bulma would never admit it to her new friend, she had been itching to meet the infamous "Rain", whom Vegeta spat venom at any moment mentioned and she couldn't help thinking he was some horrible atrocious monster, a macho type of a guy who was incredibly possessive and overall dull. From his deeds in the past she had also figured that he would be some sleazy guy, callous and treacherous by nature and actually anything that the figure that appeared behind the door revealed itself to be…

What she viewed was the perfect twin of her boyfriend, minus the erect flame-like hairdo and voice. He had exactly the same bottomless tell-tale onyx eyes, dark ebony tresses of hair which fell around his head messily in an unruly heap; he had the same mannerisms, the same stance by the frame with his hands crossed over a perfectly built masculine chest and the exactly same death glare blazing in his eyes once they landed on his girlfriend. The lines of his face, so sharp and daring, speaking of stubbornness carried even from his veins, and his body so well sculpted… She couldn't have asked for a better replica of her boyfriend even as the guy spoke,

"Where the hell were you? You got me _sick_ of calling your cell phone for an _hour_ straight!" It had actually been an hour long that the two girls had been conversing? That was sure odd… She hadn't felt the time pass by so quickly at all! She noted that the guy was quite taller than her man though… might have a good several inches above Vegeta's height.

"I was talking to Bulma about something important and I couldn't have my phone interrupting us! I'm sorry! Please forgive me, Rain! But it was something very important to me, try to understand!" Hailie plead in a voice the lavender haired female had never thought she'd hear from the strong-willed girl. She was completely at his mercy, she realized now.

The boy, however, seemed to calm himself some at that, as if his rampaging self had just slammed into a brick wall in his way. He looked at the other occupant of the corridor for the first time since bursting through the front door. He blinked and picked himself together, realizing for the first time where he was – Capsule Corporation main building, with Bulma Briefs, the inheritress of the hugest, most colossal company the world had ever seen, just next to him, studying his irritated features with unveiled interest. He cleaned his throat and placed a smirk that seemed only natural on his face, outstretching his right hand.

"I'm Rain Horikawa, but you have most certainly heard of me before." His voice was confident, stern and spoke volumes of the determination the person possessed. The sound of his voice was slightly higher than Vegeta's, she figured. She took his hand and shook his hand for the sake of politeness. As she looked into his eyes and the smirk on his face, a slight realization dawned on her. The two boys were more than alike… they were almost the same! But the aura the two of them emitted had a huge difference…

While Rain appeared to be nothing of the slime she had expected, but a cheerful, lightly cocky and proud in his stature teenager with laughter in his eyes and a much Goku-like aura about him and his purer smirk, Vegeta's expression she had missed fixed into that pose emanated a sort of… luridness from itself… As if nothing her boyfriend did came from heart or got tainted along the way from all the things he thought about at all times, things that he couldn't get off his mind. Things she wanted to know about and try to help him with… yet he so stubbornly refused to enlighten her about. Now, seeing this boy that seemed to have nothing wrong about him, to have done absolutely nothing wrong while Vegeta acted as if he had committed a crime forbidden by God towards him, she was determined not to take 'no' for an answer the next time she saw her counterpart. She had to fix this mess, and fast… Hailie was not a bad person… just confused! She had done something incredibly stupid, because she probably believed Vegeta would have it easier if he hated her guts. She had been wrong to get to together with him in the first place, as was he when he neglected her feelings, uninterested in them… Rain didn't look like a traitor; she could see it in his eyes… He emitted an air of loyalty… a loyalty she was more than certain he had fully given his most favourite person in the whole wide world while it had been only those two boys… She had to know! She had to try and mend things!

"You can certainly say that again…" She muttered as she finally transferred herself back in present time, letting go of the boy's hand. "I'm Bulma Briefs and _you_ have most probably heard a lot of things about me." He laughed. His chuckle… what a pleasant sound… It reminded her so much of her man… and how much she missed him lately.

"You bet. I can't believe I'm in the middle of Capsule Corps. Living grounds, speaking to _the_ Bulma Briefs herself, my girlfriend's _friend_, whoa… And here I thought _I_ was a big shot." He laughed again. "How silly I am."

"Rei?" His onyx eyes averted towards the meek voice of his girlfriend. "I think we should go… I want to do some things before we get home…" She exchanged a gaze of certainty with Bulma who nodded at her. The male startled.

"What's the sudden rush? I thought you were the one prolonging the departure earlier." He glared at her childishly, making Bulma hold back a knowing giggle. So alike, _so alike…!_

"I'll tell you in the car. Well, see you, B! And thank you for everything so much! I hope that one day I can repay you!" She exclaimed as she dragged her boyfriend by his arm, whose hands were stuck in his pockets, the pout still present on his face.

"Oh, you can, you can! I'll see you tomorrow, okay Hei! See ya!" the heiress exclaimed as she waved her friend good-bye while the silver Skoda Fabia pulled out of her driveway and sped down the street. She heaved an exhausted sigh as the hardest part was now to come…

…She had to think of all the information that had been served and think of how to approach her lover. She wouldn't leave things the way they were, or her name wasn't Briefs!

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Things seemed to get only messier between our favourite couple from then on, as Bulma's comprehension on matters by limited knowledge was very small. She didn't know how to act around him, or how to approach him… She didn't know why he strode away from her whenever he saw her down the corridors… He refused to meet her eyes; he didn't talk to her…

It was clear… He was blowing her off… But she wouldn't let it all end that way!

It had all been tops when he stopped coming to school and Goku complained that he didn't come home at night. Something had to be done… and very fast… before their relationship truly ended up in hell…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

That day, Bulma had consulted with Goku and found out that Vegeta hadn't really sold his last apartment. It was now vacant, with all his previous belongings still in place the way he had left them. He had no intention of selling them, Goku had told her, and didn't think of letting anyone rent the apartment for that matter either, yet he didn't live in it himself… He had still not figured out what he wanted to do with it and until he did, it would stay in his possession…

And so, after the third day her boyfriend hadn't shown his face to any of their friends, she took drastic measures and made her way towards his old residence.

As she reached the door in question, she found it oddly unlocked. Deciding not to linger too much over such tedious small matters such as his security knowing how capable he was of protecting himself, she invited herself in after poking her head inside, and finding herself all alone in a small corridor. Closing the door quietly, she inspected the closest room in her reach and found it to be a quite tidy bathroom… with a broken mirror hanging on one hinge on the wall. She exited just as quietly as she had entered her next choice of a room turning out to be quite correct this time.

His back was turned to her as he was lying on his side, the back of his head facing the door. Had she not been completely certain that his chest was rising and falling rhythmically she would've panicked that he had passed out or – she slapped herself mentally for that thought – died on that bed from dehydration or God only knows what… He was either sleeping or pretending to be asleep but in both cases she planned on letting herself in and bringing him out of his shell that he was willing to let himself rot in until he died from all the mental turmoil he was putting himself through.

So, picking up a chair, she sat herself next to his bed and watched him sleep as she did so. She checked the alarm clock that seemed more than untouched in the last year or so, reading the time on its dusty surface. _6:17 pm_, it said. Well, she had time to wait for him to will himself to talk to her or even face her for that matter. They were still officially together and the least he owed her was a decent conversation why he was breaking up with her in such a shitty way.

By 6:39 she was certain that he was only pretending to sleep as his breathing wasn't as shallow as she remembered from the nights after their intense love-making sessions, all those months ago. She frowned tightly as the memory only served to fuel her determination even more. How could he throw away all these wonderful things they had together? And why? He had to give her a very good reason if he wanted to get rid of her so badly!

The heavy choking silence stretched on and on as the alarm measured the minutes since her arrival. He wouldn't stop… He wouldn't quit… He didn't want to talk to her; he didn't want to see her… Vegeta Ouji had never been afraid in his entire existence… He was a man of honour, a boy of his word and pride… But now he was afraid. He was afraid that he couldn't keep himself back from hurting others… even subconsciously… He couldn't refrain from losing grip on that demonic creature inside of him that clawed his chest from his insides for him to let it loose over the unsuspecting innocent people that called themselves his friends, fellow citizens and… planet inhabitants. His eyes squeezed shut tighter as he willed the dreadful picture that had shot through his mind away. He wouldn't let her annoy him; he wouldn't let her make him lose his cool… He was strong enough to endure this, even with all the voices in the back of his head disagreeing with him, telling him what a loser he had been his entire life, threatening him to blow them away, to scare them off… so they could destroy all that was still human and normal in him, the tiny piece of sanity that he still possessed…

"It's not a problem; I can stay as long as you want me to until you decide on talking," she said sardonically as her hands picked up a book from the nearby desk and flipped it open, her eyes scanning the sheets of old paper vacuously. Bulma heard a satisfying growl which meant that her comment had hit the jackpot. She had pissed him off and he would no longer be able to treat her as if she wasn't even in the same room with her.

"Then you can as well as rot there, because I will _not_ speak to you about _anything_, get it?" There was something truly hostile and intimidating in his voice, rather a different case from his usual empty threats, but she still didn't budge. She had come here with a reason and she wouldn't get out until this goal was fulfilled. And she wasn't much closer to fulfilling it than the moment she stepped over the room's threshold.

"Fine then," she stated and kicked her feet back, relaxing her spine against the chair, eyes now zooming through the sentences of the book she had decided on, deciding that filling her time with something was quite better than doing nothing at all.

"That bastard Kakarott told you where to find me, didn't he." It was more of a statement than a question because there was no other person who could name his previous apartment's location as he hadn't told anyone where he lived. Famous though he was, no one knew where he lived, which saved him quite a lot of publicity. And he had enjoyed that solitude… until things in his life had fallen apart completely till a point where he could no longer tolerate the place and felt an urgent need to move out.

"Yes and no – even though he named the place I could just as well find it on my own. I'm Bulma Briefs, remember? Once I was your girlfriend, I can't tell if you still remember me though…" She murmured angrily, her accusing tone harping on a cord that had been bothering Vegeta for some time now. Yet no matter how badly he wanted to yell at her, he wouldn't… He couldn't risk it… He couldn't dare take the chance to lose control… which was growing thinner than a hair with every passing moment he spent, hiding like a coward from incorporeal creatures from a dimension entirely different than his own.

"Aren't we touchy now…?"

"We girls tend to get that way when we don't even know a thing about our most loved ones and they wouldn't even look us in the eye." She flipped a page loudly. He didn't honour this with a retort. He glared angrily at the wall, falling in another childish fit of stubborn silence.

"You're right – you know nothing about me. And that pisses you off, doesn't it? Being held in the dark by someone inferior than you are…" he hissed the words, bearing his pearly white teeth at the wall at his front.

"I have never acknowledge you inferior than me; you do this yourself and without much of a reason, if I may add. Secondly, no, I don't like being held in the dark, but as long as I can at least see your eyes, it would've been okay with me. Now I will not move from her until you tell me what the hell is goddamn wrong with you, why you won't forgive your best friend and your ex-girlfriend and just what the hell is your problem with _me_."

Before she could realize it, she was pinned to the ground with her frenzy-driven boyfriend atop her, a berserk gaze fixed in his dark usually indifferent eyes, now ebony pools ablaze with an insatiable fire that wanted to destroy everything in its way…

"You want to know what my problem with you is?" He hissed breathlessly, his voice more intimidating and scaring the daylights out of her than she had ever seen him. "You want to know why I don't look at you? You want to know what my _fucking problem is? I'll tell you what my fucking problem is!_" He yelled atop his lungs, a vein on his forehead bulging from the strain. He was close enough for her to feel the rampant beat of his heart, his body coursing with adrenaline now. "I can no longer hold back, I can no longer keep my mind clear, I can no longer have a peaceful _second_, and _especially _around the likes of _you_. There, are you _happy now? Will you finally leave me be?_" He got up angrily, letting her recoil from the surprise tackle. She placed herself on her feet again, her eyes glaring at the back of his head as his body rested on his hands atop the desk neighbouring her.

"You didn't answer my question really, Vegeta…" She gave her life another chance, risking her welfare with the rampant teen that seemed to no longer be able to tolerate her indeed. She had never, ever, seen him so angry before… Not with Hailie, not with Juuhachigou, not with anyone… "Something's bothering you, I know it… and if you tell me maybe I can help you—"

"_I am not one of your idiotic dilly-dally fools of friends, Bulma!_" His fist slammed into the wood…

…and it collapsed immediately with a pained moan of destroyed wood in a heap of rubble on the floor.

Both of them stared wordlessly, breathlessly, in complete silence at the pile of trash that had once been a desk. Vegeta's fist was shaking as he looked at it and unclenched it. He had done it… he lost it… He let go of himself in front of her, he would hurt her in that pace… Even worse, he could –he could…

"How…" Her voice was hoarse and quiet, so she cleared her throat and tried again. "How did you do that…?" Her voice was as pale and ghostly as her face was… Distant and almost horrified…

"Get out… now." He sounded menacing and spoke with a finality that was rivaled by no intervention. But he was dealing with an incredibly stubborn female… And not matter how scared she was, it was her Vegeta, _her_ Vegeta… And he was in hard times when the last thing he needed was for him to be left all alone, in a dark room, all to his plaguing thoughts that ate on his mind and sanity. No, she wouldn't leave him alone!

"You may think I know nothing of hardship, but maybe that is exactly why you should confide in me." She began cautiously, observing the side of his profile as it stayed in its impassive stance. Not a muscle moved on his face.

"I am not normal and you know it…" He muttered under his breath.

"And that's all the more reason I love you… Because you're different…"

"Control has a price that I have been able to give all these years… But now that price has suddenly risen too high. I can no longer pay it." His hollow psychopathically vacuous eyes stared widely at her, their ebony waters swallowing her in their intensity and entirety… She lost herself in them completely… retrospecting all the times she had stared deep into them, as his body was close to her, close enough for her to feel his breath on her neck, making her grow goose flesh… She wanted to console him, to help him overcome his hardships… She wanted to truly be a part of his life, no matter how much he thought her trustworthy yet refused to share his problems with her.

"Elaborate for me please?"

"This power… it has surged in my veins for decades… For the fifteen and a half years of my conscious life I felt it moving inside me… But I have been able to hold it back at bay for all this time… I had been capable of restraining it from hurting innocents, from destroying me too… But now it is becoming too strong… The voices in the back of my head…" Bulma quirked a worried eye brow at that, "They urge me to kill… to plunder the world in darkness, to destruct, to incinerate innocents… to spill blood with gallons… to destroy every weakness of mine, to make myself perfect and to be stronger than anyone else…" He looked at his shaking hands with the same widely open eyes, a certain degree of madness written in them. "And I can no longer contain in, Bulma…" He almost whimpered. "I can no longer pay the price of control… I can't… It keeps plaguing me, nagging at me…"

"Vegeta…" She kneeled next to him on the grounds as he had collapsed there somewhere in the middle of his brainless muttering. "Come home with me… I'll make you a good dinner so you feel stronger and—"

"_I don't want to be stronger! I don't want to let go of this way of existence! Don't you understand? I can kill you with a flick of my wrist if you drive me too far!_" He yelled at her, wrenching himself out of her reach. She smiled kindly at him.

"You haven't done it yet, have you?" Her logic followed no pattern to him, held no sense and still, with all her audacity, she neared him again and tried to coax him into joining her beautiful, comfortable home once again… How he was tempted to take her offer, to give into sweet ignorance again… to play innocent and to do as if nothing ever happened, as if there weren't any scary images flashing through his head, as if he wasn't feeling like a blood-thirst soon-to-be murderer… but he couldn't…

"You don't understand anything…" He shook his head inadequately, almost confirming her worries that he had gone insane in the time he spent locked up in the hollow dark apartment those past few days, not drinking or eating anything.

"Then tell me so I understand."

Her words had been the top for him. Three days of dehydration, lack of any nourishment and grief over past mistakes that nagged at him and wanted him to release something from deep inside that he had pressured his entire life… His last bit of control and self-perseverance instincts reduced to ashes as his temper erupted like a volcano, an invisible wave knocking her off her feet back on the ground again. His vein was pulsing, his head was throbbing, and his chest was in a vice that pulled him tighter and tighter in its grip with each and every second that he held all of it inside… He was anti-social and didn't need anyone… He didn't need to confide in anyone, he didn't want to trust a person because he would get hurt again, and he knew that! And still he couldn't hold back any longer, the restrained power needed to be released… Years of torment needed to be poured out to the world once again, memories needed to be relived from first second to the bitter end… He needed to get over all those monsters, to prove stronger than them… yet he couldn't find the inner strength to do so any longer… He couldn't hold on… He couldn't find the power after all those sleepless nights filled with nightmares in the moments he actually dozed off to compile all those memories into one chronological line and relive them in his head… He just couldn't… He wanted, needed a release… It hurt him from the inside… He felt as if he would reduce to tiny pieces any second now… because the energy that he held inside could exist no longer in the small confines of his body…

_She wanted to understand!_

"_How can you possibly fucking understand how it feels to see the only person that ever loved you or put their trust in you raped and killed before your very eyes? How can you understand how it feels to be humiliated as you have the daylights beat out of you by a person you call respectfully "father" and do everything in your infantile self's power to please his whim, yet it seems to him it's _never _good enough? How can you _possibly_ comprehend how it feels to have your back stabbed by all three people you have trusted after such a shitty childhood, and to have not a single ounce of respect for people afterwards? How can you _possibly_ understand what it is to be called a freak and monster by children? How can you possibly understand how it feels to be me? **HOW**_?" He hollered the final word with his entire strength, collapsing face-first on the floor after that, his head in his arms as he curled in a ball, as if to protect him from possible strikes. His body was rocking with mute convulses that painfully reminded of breathless sobs… but Bulma daren't think of them that way…

She just stood there, awe-struck as he watched her boyfriend, her role model, the strongest person she had encountered in her entire life, a broken heap on the floor, his eyes dry and refusing him any release from the grief that had built in him for all those years of loneliness. She didn't know what to say as she just watched him with hollow eyes…

…So this was the bitter price of control…

The only sound that could be heard between the two of them for a long gap of time Vegeta's short intakes of breaths and Bulma's intermittent ones… Her heart hit so loudly against her chest she thought she could hear it clearly in her ear drums…

Manhandled, mistreated, mislead, betrayed, lonely and still standing strong and tall… She blinked as she observed him, chest still rising and falling rapidly… mute was his tantrum against the fate that was thrown on him, seemingly never to be broken…

…This was the price of control he had paid for so long…

It scared her…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

_**READ BIO FOR LINK TO LIVE JOURNAL, WHERE I WILL TELL YOU ABOUT ANY REASONS FOR STAGNATIONS IN WRITING, AND CHECK "CHAPTER STATUS" IN BIO FOR REFERENCE WHICH STORY IS BEING WRITTEN! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!**_

So, here's the prelude to Vegeta's story and why he has been acting so strange lately. Actually, Rain-kun will tell us why he's acting strange, but that will be in two chapters time or so… Next chapter – "Tears of a Warrior". Regards to Son Christine, whose Ruroni Kenshin fanfic title inspired next chapter's title. Everything else, questions you may have and such will be answered in the live journal. Correspondence will be achieved there completely so I don't have a reason to be kicked out of the site again. (worried look) Yeah… Thank you in advance. Sorry for any stupid mistakes in chapter – no time to check, got to get back to the hostel, because it will get closed before I manage to drag myself back. Sorry again for skipping beta-read, but I hope you understand the chapter well enough on your own the way it is. ;)

So, here you have it. The chance to have this fic updated in only about a week or two, considering I have all my stories to update… Only if you review! Hehehe… I'd really appreciate it since next chapter will be a very thought about thing… Yeah… Review to have the next chapter out sooner. Please, please, review, review…


	23. Ch23: Tears of a Warrior

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Twenty-Three: Tears of a Warrior_

For a decent ten minutes gap nothing else but Vegeta's intermittent breathing could be heard in the still room, where discomfort seemed to condensate profusely in the air. Bulma had no idea what to say while her boyfriend was still in a fit of self-bashing for blowing up at her that way. He shouldn't have said anything to provoke further questions… If there had been hope for him slipping out of this without having to answer all your nosy inquiries that hope was now completely gone and out of his hand's grasp…

Finally coming out of her temporary stupor, Bulma blinked her clouding confusion away and took a better look at her boyfriend, who was now just sitting on the floor with one knee bent and an extended other foot, intently avoiding her gaze.

"All those things… they happened to you?" It was a lame question to ask with a more than obvious answer, but she had no idea what else to say… And she didn't even know half of it! And exactly because her inquiry was more of a rhetorical one, it was not honoured with a retort. The onyx orbs just bore into the worn out carpet, the covering of the floor damaged from all of his high school late arrivals and departures, always in a hurry for something, dragging his feet against the floor as he had walked in and out of his room…

As time stretched on and both still refused to say anything, Bulma felt her chest heavy. The look Vegeta was giving his carpet was a mix of shame, humiliation, anger and self-loathe. She had no idea why he was so fed up and why he was ashamed. All those things… they weren't his fault. She had no idea what he felt on the topic, how he coped with all those things… As far as she understood, as well as previous interrogations on the matter, she figured he had been an orphan and taking care of himself ever since he could think properly… She had no idea of the details, but from what he had just said… things had been really ugly his entire life…

"Vegeta," she began, hoping he would turn his full attention to her. She couldn't read his emotions on the matter if he didn't look at her directly. It was very important to her that he would finally trust in their relationship fully…

It was half a decade too early for such thoughts, but she couldn't think of her life without him in it. It didn't matter where he would go to study for University – she would go there with him. Even if it was the tiniest town on Earth which by some ironic joke of fate had a University, she'd go there with him, just because she wouldn't be able to live without him. Through all those months, during their entire relationship, she had come in possession of the knowledge how unique he actually was, to a point of slight femininity in his mind's complex structure. No man was as thoughtful as he was, as careful about his actions as he was, or as understanding as he was, even though Vegeta wasn't a person to freely allow himself to be exposed as all those. He chose his friends and foes with a precision to be envied for, he appeared proud and cocky to everyone, distrusting and non-caring, but in all actuality, if he allowed you to become a true friend of his, you'd find out how affectionate he could be if he wanted to. That is, of course, as affectionate and compassionate as _Vegeta_ could get…

He never let outsiders badmouth his friends and he most certainly never let anyone pick physically on his close ones. He didn't show any emotion, tried to push everyone away, yet those who were still next to him after such a test he accepted truly. Yet he proved that no one, absolutely _no one_, after Rain and Hailie's betrayal, was worthy of his trust in its whole entirety.

"Vegeta, look at me." This time her voice was sterner with determination. He didn't comply, which didn't help her tight frown any. "Please, Vegeta, why won't you trust in me? Did I not already prove myself trustworthy to you? Haven't I done enough to deserve your trust?" She sat next to him and her eye brows tilted up as if in physical pain when he inched away from her. "Don't you care about us anymore, Vegeta?" He released a very heavy sigh at that question, exhausted with the topic already. Why wouldn't she just leave him be and just get out of his apartment? Though he realized that she was right… If he kept avoiding her that way, they would surely fall apart in a month's time…

"It is not a matter of trust or care, Bulma…" he moaned out, rubbing his bloodshot eyes, strained from not getting even a wink of sleep in days' time. "How can I make you understand those are things I'm not proud of and I would like to forget? Do you think it will be any help if I relive them when telling them to you? How is that to get me back in track?" He glared heatedly at her, as if she was the one guilty for all the things that had happened to him in his lifespan. But she didn't mind being blamed for it, even though they would both realize all the same that she couldn't _possibly_ be the one guilty for all those things… She wanted to make him feel better, yet had no idea how to do it. But comprehension came with knowledge and if she knew nothing, how was she supposed to comprehend his situation?

"You will feel better if you tell me," she said softly, scowling at the skeptical loud snort on his behalf that followed her words.

"This is not some girlish secret that once shared makes you feel a better person, woman, get that through your thick skull." He rolled his eyes after he said that in annoyance. She would never understand such matters and he sincerely hoped that she didn't… He'd never wish for her to have similar experiences in her entire life time. It would irreversibly change her the way it had changed him… All those things, one after the other, transformed him into something entirely different from what his mother intended him to become… His mother… His teeth gritted at the thought but he shunned it out of his mind. Now wasn't the time to melt at the thought of "fond" memories…

Bulma looked away, unsure of how to persuade him into spilling the precious information. How could she coax someone completely immobile once a decision was made on his behalf to go against that decision? What could she possibly say that would make him believe her enough, or… She wasn't sure what he wanted her to do so he told her! He said he believed her; that he cared for her, and nevertheless refused to share information of his past with her… Why? She had to know…

"Why are you so hesitant in telling me these things if you really trust me? Why are you clamming up on me when you actually think about those things for months straight and you let them eat on your psyche so badly you won't even look at me? Why do you think I would be of absolutely no help to your case? Please, Vegeta, tell me _why_," she all but begged. He threw her a menacing glare again.

"You're giving me ultimatums, you patronize me and then you dare ask _why_ I won't tell you? Besides, it is _none_ of your business!" Usually, conversations—even just between the two of them—ended with the last phrase, but this time proved to be different as Bulma refused to give up so easily.

"I am not patronizing you and I am not giving you ultimatums! And have I ever not agreed with you that it is none of business? And do you know what _made_ it my business? I believe it was the fact you suddenly blew me off, refusing to look at me in the eye, not to mention talking to me, or—God forbid!—coming in any kind of physical contact with me. Will you stop behaving that way if I leave now?" When he didn't answer her she heaved a very heavy sigh, burying her face in her hands before continuing. Persuading had never been a more difficult task as she had on her hands someone who was stubbornly stuck between a child and a teenager… "Vegeta, how can I make you understand that the only thing you will manage by acting this way is alienate yourself from everyone?"

"Stop talking to me as if I'm a retarded kid…" he murmured angrily, his glare fixed at the door to his room, as if willing her out of it the same instant he did so. Why wouldn't she rest her case and just let go of the topic…

"If you want me to leave so badly," she stood up, never breaking eye contact with the side of his profile in the process, "then I will do so. But it may also be a good-bye with the pace you're keeping…" He growled malignantly.

"And how do you call that? It is what I call an _ultimatum_, don't you agree?" She grabbed her head with both her hands in defeat and despair. In the next moment, she was sitting on her bent knees next to him again, her face twisted in an odd manner in her desperation.

"Vegeta, why wouldn't you listen to me? You keep saying the same thing over and over again; you aren't even _looking_ at me!" She shrieked but to no avail. His gaze was still fixed on the door, as if it was far more intriguing than the conversation—or rather his girlfriend's monologue—at hand. "Why won't you understand this – I am _not_ your enemy! I just want to help you, or at least be with you and know that you are not in some terrible mental turmoil while I'm enjoying myself! It's how people _feel_ when they truly love someone!"

"I don't want your opinion or attitude towards me to change," he stated, trying to ignore the nagging at the back of his head and the vice that had tightened around his chest at her last words, as they seemed to stir something deep inside of him…

"They won't! I never said they were—"

"I don't need your pity and I don't need you hearing about all the atrocities that my life before you has been." He closed his eyes, as if trying to force out something rather insistent that wouldn't let go of his mind. "I prefer the dreadful rumors to stay the way they are – things that you label false immediately after you hear and don't muse any more over. I don't want that to change… I don't want my new life to change… I can't keep moving every time…"

"You're right, you can't keep moving every time you encounter hardship," she agreed with a determined expression on her soft features.

"What do _you_ know of hardship, woman…? You've never been put in such situations before; you've had everything you needed served to you on a silver platter…"

"And it annoys you that someone like me has had an easier life than you did? You're wondering with what exactly I'm a better person than you to have deserved a better existence than yours on this world?" she asked inquiringly, her eyes scanning his features for any change in his expression after the questions were made.

"I have never said such a thing… Don't paraphrase me however you please…" He glared daggers at the wall again, trying to filter some of his anger away before it rose to dramatic points again, steering out of his control. She sighed.

"Fine, Vegeta… Don't tell me anything. I'll leave you be. Clam up on me all you want; stop eating if that makes you feel better; refuse any help and estrange yourself from people if it makes you feel a better person. I can no longer persuade you into this… I have no idea how to make it clear enough to you without giving you ultimatums, patronizing you or offending you in some way. I'll just write it off as "you're too complicated for me to comprehend" and give it no more thought. Do as you like. You know where you can find me in case you change your opinion and you know I will never shut my door on you—" Her rant was interrupted by his eerily quiet and calm voice.

"I don't want you thinking of me as a monster too…" There was a deafening pause. When he didn't continue and the thought finally sunk in, Bulma's brows tilted up again as she finally understood why he was so hesitant to talk to her.

"Oh, honey…" She trailed off as she sat next to him, and hugged him by his waist, her body close to his. He was no longer the warm Vegeta whose body heat comforted her entire being… His hands were freezing, his neck was remotely warm and his face was cold… She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing all bad thoughts out of her mind. He was going to be fine, he was always fine! He would get over this—no! _They_ would get over this, together, as should be. "I've seen you in your worst days – nothing can drive me away if that can't…" She had her fingers crossed for an involuntary laugh from him but was disappointed as she received nothing. He was just staring in space, not returning her gentle embrace, yet not pushing her away either.

They stood like that for a long time, just thinking and reacquainting themselves with the other's company. At her touch, Vegeta finally resurfaced some from all the guilt and pain of the recent days, finding a small part of himself again… and finding out that this part of him missed her dearly. He had missed her presence, her soothing aura and her insistent nature so much… He had missed how she cared so much for him that she could go on arguing for hours on end over something that concerned him… She wanted—he could clearly see it in her eyes and feel it at her touch—to be of some help… if even just to be allowed to be there next to him… She had practically proclaimed her love for him earlier in her speech! And she refused to leave… He was touched… He was so very touched by her attention, by her compassion and her feelings towards him, so powerful and determined, so pure… How could he say no to her and reject all her well-intended actions? How could he reject her and sadden her? How could he go on with his life without anyone next to him, as he too was certain that he would be all alone if she waltzed out that door in anger…

But would she really not change her mind if he told her everything—_everything_—about himself? Even though she had promised so, he wouldn't be able to bear it if she pitied him afterwards, or acted as if he was something fragile that could break at any second… Well, there was only one way to find that out.

He sighed heavily, as if just completing a strenuous physical work.

"I was an only child to my parents, and I actually doubt my father ever wanted me…" He began and she was thankful for her position next to him in an angle that he couldn't possibly see the triumphant look on her features right after he started, even though with the second part of the sentence it melted down completely. "When I was little I never really saw much of him. Not that I missed him much. All he ever did when he was actually around was glare at me as if it was my fault his life was fucked. Expecting a compliment from him like other fathers compliment their sons when they do something exceptional that other kids their age can't do was preposterous – the man didn't care about anyone other than himself."

Bulma decided against interrupting him, knowing that his garrulousness would be gone in the snap of your fingers if she intervened, so she just chose to listen and hoped that she would be able to catch on whether his father had married his mother in a spur of the moment or they have been in love when they got married… Not that it had much relevance but she was just curious.

"I was thankful that he spent as less time as possible at home, making money in all ways that fitted in his capabilities to support our family. He never complained and rarely spoke; he wasn't interested in me or my mother as long as everything at work went well and no one spoke badly of our family… but he was still displeased with me, with my very existence… I knew exactly why." Vegeta's eyes narrowed menacingly at the remembrance. "He had always thought of me as a freak of nature because of my tail that my mother refused to let him cut, saying that it would cut my connection with people completely… I had no clue at the time—and I still don't—how _exactly_ removing something that was completely useless in our human society would _separate_ me from people, but I had no say in the matter…

"And so my mother tried teaching me all sorts of things… She enjoyed maths; she loved taking walks with me out in the park, and telling me stories of kidnapped Princes from their parents in attempts of saving the royal heir from evil tyrants and when they finally return they triumph over the threat to their parents and there was always a happy end to her stories, with the Prince becoming a wise King and all his people adoring him dearly… She even used to call me her little prince when I was little…" He closed his eyes again at the memory, forcing back all the dread that rose in him as he knew how he had to continue… Bulma smiled fondly at the information. Vegeta's mother sure sounded like a terrific person, a woman worthy of admiration…

"Once I turned seven and going to school—no longer under my mother's wing as I had passed most of my kindergarten years under her tuition—things started to get ugly…" He made a brief pause, trying to compose his thoughts in the proper chronological line. "I believe it began with the fact kids made fun of me once they figured out about my tail. And, before you ask, yes – there were people who knew… I can't control it now, imagine what it was to try to gain control over it when I actually had no such over my feet's functioning to begin with at that time… What was worse was my father taking up drinking way too much, coming home drunk and yelling at both my mother and I, claiming us demons and monsters…" His eyes squinted for a millisecond in disgust. "He upset her occasionally, never excused himself for his actions and words, not to mention making up for them… He yelled at her as if she was the reason the world was foul and unattractive…" His teeth gritted together.

"If it was yelling the only thing he did, all would've been fine and dandy. Yet we had no such luck… Soon he started beating up my mother and if he hadn't ventilated his anger enough or I tried to protect her from his heavy hand, he would beat me up too… When we started writing a lot in school and I tried using my left hand instead of my right, and eventually found out I was left-handed, he went in frenzy. No son of his was going to be left-handed, he had claimed."

How was that his say, Bulma couldn't help wondering.

"So, displeased with my disobedience when he made me promise not to use it for writing, he dislocated my shoulder and elbow, making it useless for a very long period." Bulma was yet again very thankful he couldn't see her expressions. Her lower jaw had hung widely open at that. He was kidding, right? No father would do such a thing to his son! To a child of seven no less! That was, that was… just _inhumane_! "The healing took less time than he expected which only served to anger him more.

"After that I tried my best to keep him pleased, to refrain from enraging him any more… But he was a hard man to please… Maybe he just enjoyed the screams she released when he raped her… Maybe he enjoyed seeing my infantile body sprawled at his feet when his hand hit me hard… Maybe he was a megalomaniac, a fanatic of some sort… I could never know, and I could care less. All I knew was that by third grade I hated his guts. I stored feelings a child my age shouldn't even know of; they were things my mother forbid me to feel, even though she was one who suffered more, mistreated by the man who supposedly loved her…" Vegeta made an expression wrenched in disgust at that. "Some love it was… It was clear that he had no control over his own actions or emotions. And one day he would just cross the line…

"But it happened a lot sooner than I expected it to. One night he was so pissed with getting fired at he nearly tore my mother's insides apart after forcing her into bed. She was screaming so loudly…" He closed his eyes tightly, squeezing hard as if it would help him force the remembrances out of his mind's eye. "She was calling me, she wanted me to run away and stay at Kakarott's—as she called him—who was my only friend from kindergarten in my class. I didn't listen… I wanted to stay and help her… I was afraid what would happen to her, I was afraid I would lose her. My presence served as a distraction to her and she couldn't avoid my father's elbow connecting with her neck…

"The last thing her eyes saw was probably my horrified expression at her bloodied lower body, her clothes only rags clinging to her body in vain… He had hit her vital point… and had knocked her out in a land she would never return from." Bulma bit her lip, which threatened with quivering. He had seen his mother die… and he had been so young! He had loved her more than anyone… and he had her ripped out of her grasp at such an early stage in his life… Life wasn't fair… It was truly a bitch… "He cornered me next, knowing I was an eye witness and he had to shut me up as well… He threw me at a wall, slamming his huge foot in my stomach but I couldn't feel anything. My whole body was numb with stupor. It was my fault she was dead, a voice in the back of my childish mind said. I could call "mama", "mama" all I wished, she wouldn't budge from the uncharacteristic position on the floor… She'd stay frozen that way because she couldn't call me her little prince anymore, she couldn't compliment me or teach me anymore… because she wasn't alive anymore… And it had all been my fault…

"When I looked up towards my father, it was the first time I noticed the fullness of the moon that night… It was so bright and blinding, utterly fascinating with its yellowish-white rays, shining upon my beautiful mother's corpse on the floor. She had died to save me, she had given her life for me… and now he had the chance of taking that as well… I couldn't have that. I was a boy and boys don't cry, he had said to make me realize that tears were falling down my cheeks." Bulma squirmed next to him at the information, her heart clenching in a tight knot at the information. "And in the exact moment, all I could hear was my own heartbeat… So loud and rhythmical… pulsing with the life the woman lying dead on the floor had given me… a life that the asshole didn't appreciate, her life which he cared none about and murdered her without even looking back at her. I couldn't comprehend how he had murdered her without even blinking at the realization she was no more. Regardless his feelings towards her, she was still a human being and homicide was forbidden by law! I could care less whether he was drunk or not… He had killed the only person that cared for me!

"That's when I snapped. I don't even remember well what happened afterwards… I think I went in the same rampage as all those days ago when your ex's cronies drugged me…" Bulma bit her lip again and tightened her hold on his waist at the mentioning. He didn't indicate to have felt anything. "When I came to, what was before me was a bloodbath. Crimson liquid bespattered all over the white walls, the corpses on the floor now increased by one – my father's body had joined mother's in a twisted kind of murderer's work…" Bulma's eyes were wide. He wasn't saying what she thought he was… was he? "The police couldn't find any clues, prints or anything… It seemed as if my father had done all of this to himself or something… They rested their case, but I knew who had done it… On some subconscious level, the content that I felt when seeing him lying there didn't seem exactly right…

"Over the years I tried to become used to the idea that I was a murderer, even though in my most fragile of ages I assured myself that it hadn't been my fault. He had provoked me, he had killed her… I had to avenge my mother. I had only done the logical thing… but murder can't be logical… no crime can be a logical choice… I was aware afterwards… But it still grew heavy on me, no matter the self-convincing I did. I was a monster, a murderer… I was unworthy of love, compassion or affection of any sort. I had killed a man, my own blood relative no less, therefore I wasn't someone who deserved to be loved or cared for. I was positive I should rot in hell for all I had done that night, but people ignorant of the situation didn't think so.

"When the police told me of orphanage because I had no other relatives, I refused to hear any of it. When they tried to drag me, Kakarott's grandfather stopped them and told them he would take custody of me the same way he had accepted another boy in his life – namely, Kakarott. After the tragedy with my family and screwing up my mind completely with insane mutterings of how foul of a creature I was, Gohan revealed to me that Kakarott was also parentless and had the same tail I did. I swear that old hag had a way with fucked up children if he even managed to pull _me_ out of the hole I was digging in my mind to just curl in a ball into and die… He assured me that everything that I had done wasn't my fault; that everyone deserved forgiveness like God says… but if everyone deserved forgiveness why was I not forgiven through my entire life? Why did Hell exist if _everyone_ got forgiven?

"The comfort of having a family didn't last long, I should say. Grandfather Gohan was a man of age and he was fast reaching senility. Even though that, he was always cheerful, loved to take care of me and Kakarott… spending all his free time with us, helping us with school and everything… The old man made things just the way a normal family should… It was a Men's kingdom at home. We did everything as we pleased as long as we didn't break rules like doing our homework before sitting in front of the TV and such… I had been happy at the time, having the younger brother I never had to exhort, to be looked up to and to be a role model to…

"But good things never lasted with me… Two years after I initially joined their little family, Gohan passed away, taken down by some illness that had chased after him his whole life… And so, he left me and Kakarott parentless again, at the mercy of the country's orphanages and child protection programs. I wouldn't have it that way though. I refused to be shoved in those shit holes with all kinds of losers who had nothing better to do than pick on the different ones like me and Kakarott… I was thirteen, for Christ's sake! I could think on my own already, I was capable of thinking for myself in a long time!

"But Kakarott wasn't… He was alone and afraid… he didn't want us to split after that, because he wouldn't have made it on his own at that point in his life. He was pathetic in his uselessness, but I couldn't just leave him there… Besides, Gohan's property was his as much as it was mine, if not even more so." He took a deep breath, as if completing the first chapter of his life's story. Bulma hadn't been so still in a long time, just staring at the same wall he was, thoughtless and emotionless to the new information, all she was doing being listening and trying to comprehend those things.

"If I didn't want us to end up in one of those dumps, I would have to find something to do for a living so we earned some money. Gohan was a thoughtful man and had left us some savings for hard times, so we lived off of them until I got my paychecks. I worked as an elf in the markets for the Christmases, did charity at various occasions… The salaries weren't really significant but it was additional money. Anything additional was quite well and welcome. I went to school, then to work and the evenings were the only times I spent some time with Kakarott, helping him with school or something… My free time I congested with maths for upper classes and other activities I could possibly find useful. The less time I had to muse over past happenings, the calmer my head and consciousness.

"Once in seventh grade, I got acquainted with this boy, Rain…" His eyes became wistful as he recalled the person in question. "He lived with just his father and sister. He had had a hard life much like Kakarott and me and we easily got along. He introduced me to his family and his father's computer business. If I could perceive programming, I could get paid a hundred times the salary I got from charity, and all the other activities… You can tell that's a proposal you can hardly reject. And so I began – I studied night and day, day and night, so I could assure that I and my best friend could live well in the future couple of years. I became the best programmer of my time and age when I was only fourteen. People did decades of studying to comprehend what I could do after just a year of insistent reading…" Bulma's eye brows had once again creased. She was getting more and more amazed with that boyfriend of hers and his capabilities with every word that exited his mouth…

"When I turned thirteen things started to change dramatically for me. I had always been close to Rain, but Kakarott was more like a brother to me, we lived together! It was more than reasonable I would care for him more. I believed that all my emotions were mutual, that he enjoyed my company as much as I enjoyed his, that he didn't need anyone else to be content with life as long as he had me there, taking care of us… But I was wrong. Kakarott was kind and naïve to the core but he knew what he wanted when he saw it. And that's when he met ChiChi." Bulma's eyes lit up slightly at the mentioning of her best friend's name. "God, how I despised the mere sound of her name exiting his mouth as if she was some deity of some sort when it the same time all she did was try to control him and his wishes.

"He began coming home later, if coming back at all. All he could talk about was her and what they did together, how perfect of a match they were and how great they fitted together, things that I was certain she preached loud and long enough to make him believe he thought so too. I had no idea what the bitch was like, but I could care less. I didn't want to meet with her because I was certain I'd wring her neck if I met with her in person. My malice was so great for her stealing the only close person I had. I couldn't get over the fact that I cared for him more than he would ever care for me, in a way too different for him to return those feelings. The shock at the realization of what the feeling I had towards ChiChi was great enough to knock me off my feet – I was so incredibly jealous."

His girlfriend blinked insistently at the words. The first mind-blowing idea was Vegeta openly showing any kind of affection for his best friend, which she had never been a witness of. She could barely comprehend that, not to mention him being… _jealous_! What did that mean? So the rumors about him circulating in the lower social circles… were true?

"For years I hadn't even talked to a _girl_ for more than ten seconds in total and I had emotions and thoughts on people of the same gender I shouldn't have… I was disgusted with the fact that my father had almost turned out to be correct… a left-handed man had something royally messed up in him. I started going out with the wrong crowd which eventually lead to devastating results.

"I wanted to become a real man, to knock out of my mind all thoughts impure addressed to my roommate and so I met upperclassmen that assured me that the best way to forget anything was a good lay. I was still a virgin which should've been easily understood considering I was six months shy of my fourteenth birthday, but that meant nothing to them and refusing to do as they asked would certainly get me in big trouble. To me, there was no proper way to put an end to my virgin days – my head was as fucked up as it could get, I thought—after Kakarott's betrayal—that I was as unlovable as I could get, I would never find anyone to care about me ever again so I threw all conscious thought out the window and did as they advised me. Namely – I slept with a hooker." Too much displeasing information was penetrating her mind's protections.

"Usually people were content with the service they got for their money… but I had no such luck. I was so shaken that I barely managed to get it up and that woman's stillness and hubris helped me none. She glared at me as if I was filth on her shoes all the while, never breaking eye contact. It made me uncertain and I was afraid. She made no sound during the entire time I was in her… She was like a toy, breakable and fragile, yet hostile and menacing… I didn't want to think of the experience any more than needed, I stopped going out with those guys afterwards while my conscience ate on me… I would never be able to please a woman, a man, anyone! No one would care about me; no one would want to give into me completely, because I wouldn't know how to be of any use to them…

"Miraculously, I was rescued even from that pit by none other than Rain whom I have neglected through the entire second half of seventh grade. During the summer vacation we got closer as I told him about Kakarott and I and he appeared even more understanding than I could ever be. He was slightly older than me yet he sounded a decade older than his actual age. He told me it was natural for me to be confused after living alone all this time and that I should rest assured – I would know whether or not I'm straight when I met The One for me." He smirked, taken in some distant land of fond memories. "The bastard made everyone believe he was so high and mighty yet he used such corny terminology, fit for the past century." He shook his head lightly, ridding himself of the reveries that entered his mind.

"To divert me from those thoughts that kept on nagging at me, he introduced me to skating and I proved to be a natural. He showed me the ways of the street life as a way to earn money. We took up fighting and street racing as well. People gave a stack of bills to see us race, fight or match up our skating skills and see who was better. He won most of the times but we had an agreement to always split by half. I came to know a life better than anything I had ever wished for after Gohan's death. I was _adored_, I was _famous_! People didn't point at me, laughing. They were ready to kiss my feet if I so much as wished them to; they were _talking_ about me as if I was a God. Rain taught me how to prevent my tail from showing in public and that was the last thing that completed the picture. I was no longer Vegeta Ouji, the reject, an abortion of God. I was now Vegeta Ouji, the skater Prince, Lord of street races and unbeatable in hand-to-hand fights.

"People started imitating me, wanting to be like me. I started giving lessons myself to people who wanted them, with my current best friend at my side at all times. Rain and I were inseparable the way that I was once close with Kakarott. I didn't have any feelings for him the way I had with Kakarott though… I knew why my thoughts had been jumbled back then and it would never happen again. I could finally see the difference between a friend and someone who's more than a friend. I did have guys fighting over me, as you've probably heard such rumours in the rumour mill that is our school. It's true that I had been confused back then, but things weren't as atrocious as those idiots make them out to be. I had never even kissed someone of the same gender, not to mention anything more." His nose wrenched up in disgust. "Confusion and brain-death differ greatly, yet those goons probably fail to see the difference.

"Everything was going fine and perfect. I could freely laugh at the time, finally capable of freeing myself from the ghosts of the past that had clouded my vision ever since the stress of my best friend backstabbing me because of a girl. Even Kakarott had taken up skating so we could spend more time together as he acknowledged—finally—that he was neglecting his best friend. I could care less even if he moved in with the wench of a girlfriend of his. It was none of my concern. I had a new best friend who understood me better, who could easily relate to my feelings and put himself in my shoes. We did all kinds of shit together, occasionally getting ourselves in trouble even though Rain's father never mistreated us in any way even when we created messes that were hard to solve your way out of. But as I mentioned good things never lasted in my life…

"By the time we were back to school, now high school students, we had an additional student in our class. Her name was Hailie and she seemed to be an outcast just like we were compared to the rest of the class, even though we were rather placed on a pedestal as something untouchable. We accepted her among us because she was just like us. She came to our practices, went out with us and generally enjoyed herself while around us. And, just like Rain had told me, I knew at that point whether I'm "sane" or not. And I knew that because I knew she was the one for me. Or so I believed at the time…

"I had told Rain of my feelings once and thought whether or not I should ask for an advice but decided against it. I did everything with her, tried to show her how I felt without having to say it aloud. It was difficult to me, I had thought of myself incapable of love or being loved until that point. She didn't reject me at all; she seemed to enjoy my company as much as I enjoyed hers… We were so alike and we fit perfectly. But then she had to get sick, her life had to be threatened. I panicked. I couldn't have her ripped out of my grasp the same way I let the bitch life take my mother. I wouldn't have it that way. I promised her she would get better, that I would do anything in my power to pull her out of the ditch she had fallen into on her way towards the better life that she craved as much as I did.

"I took up a part-time job which paid me well for the sheer fact that I was Vegeta Ouji, advertising their company well among the teenagers. Their profits rose sky-high because of me and they couldn't possibly have another choice. I paid her stay at the hospital, her medicaments, tutored her in my free time, stayed by her side in every free second of the day. But she still looked miserable, discontent with what I was giving her, but I couldn't notice at the time. I was so blind in my wish to be loved back with the same intensity I loved her that I didn't notice her absent-mindedness, or the look in her eyes when she saw I had come to visit her to the hospital, again alone as I always came.

"The rest I don't want to discus, you've surely heard the end of the story on Hailie's behalf." His eye brows narrowed dangerously over his eyes. "I couldn't comprehend why she agreed to go out with me if she preferred him to me… I couldn't understand why it was necessary to listen to me spilling all my precious secrets to her if she didn't want to hear any of them. I couldn't understand why the hell she didn't stop me when I first kissed her or slept with her. And _damned_ if I know why for goodness' sake she had to _cheat_ to make me understand I couldn't please her!" He slammed his fist against the floor, creating a cobweb-like crack beneath the worn out carpeting.

"If being betrayed by the person you love most isn't enough, she had to cheat on me with the person I trusted most in my entire lifetime – my best fucking friend… It was then clear to me how much of friends of mine they actually were, doing things behind my back, hoping I would never find out about their affairs… And then he had the audacity to tell me I was selfish and conceited, wrapped up in my own little world when he was the one who stole _my_ girlfriend, _my_ reason to live!" His fist clenched tightly and his knuckles grew white with the pressure he applied on his flesh, nearly tearing a wound open in his palm.

"I couldn't get over it; I couldn't shake off the dread of the betrayal. I couldn't rid myself of the pain that surfaced every time I went back to my apartment and noticed the bed that she slept in with me for countless nights, see the living room where I spent hours after hours with him, talking, laughing or plain relaxing from a hard day at work and school. I was so sick and tired of her calling me so we "cleared things up". I was so sick and tired of him patronizing me, telling me how wrong I had been or whatnot. I could go on no longer; I would burst if I stayed in that apartment. The summer vacation before senior year I gathered my wits and began getting part time jobs as much as I could, bent on saving up enough money to buy a new house or apartment on the other side of the city; I wished to see or hear no more of that pair and God knew that Kakarott and I needed to let go of Gohan's legacy. We were old enough to take care of ourselves then, it was about time we grew out of our childish fears.

"And I believe that the rest you know well, since that's the moment we met. At the time my self-convincing had become so great I could assure myself I was content with my life as it was. I was away from Hailie, far from Rain and any worries have been left behind. But I couldn't sleep at night, I couldn't get over it. They still haunt me today, urging me to free some of this pent up energy that I can't rid myself of… At night before I fall asleep I can't help wondering if I deserve this, all of this…" She was positive he meant their relationship. "You don't deserve to be tainted by the likes of me, my foul mind and soul… Anything that comes in contact with me either breaks down entirely or gets reduced to something just as foul as I am… I don't believe in love anymore, therefore even if you do feel for me at some point in time, I can't return those feelings, I don't _want_ to requite them. I hardly trust anyone and I rarely show my true emotions as a defense-mechanism from previous days when it had been vital not to show any weaknesses… You won't have a decent relationship if you stay with me, you won't change me as I refuse to change because of anyone anymore… I have been hurt repeatedly, I am a monster by heart and there's an odd fire that burns within me that you can easily burn yourself on…

"If you want to walk out this door and never come back, I'd understand. If you wish to no longer put up with me and my shit, just leave. I'm not forcing you to stay just because you know some sort of 'top secret' or whatever… Do as you wish… It's all fine and dandy as long as you let me rot in here."

The first silence in a long time stretched itself over the couple like a cloud of dusty air. Bulma had no idea how to react to all of this…

All those atrocious gruesome things had happened to him. Hatred, malice, betrayal, loneliness, bitterness, disappointment – none of those emotions were alien to him and he had lived with them his entire life. On top of all, he possessed physical strength greater than anyone else's, and a frisky tail that she adored to pet and hear his throaty purr. He wasn't normal; that much was clear. He was stronger than any of the boys she had met in her life; that was crystal clear too. What she had figured after his tale was that he was the strongest person mentally that she could ever encounter as well. His strong character was built on things that would either drive a normal person crazy or towards suicidal. Yet he stood tall and proud, getting up every time life tackled him, refusing to quit, giving up on this world.

Pity? No, it wasn't pity that she felt for him.

She _admired_ him.

She admired his skill to overcome the hardships life added to his already stacked dish and he still managed to pull through, to laugh, to smirk, to mock and fight… to be her same old Vegeta. She had no idea what he had been before she had met him but she knew it was this Vegeta, this proud temperamental easily-pissed off teenager that she had fallen for. It was this cocky never-quitting on taunting and scorning bastard who neglected his best friend's affection and open-heartedness that she adored.

Walk out the door and leave him alone? She could never do such a thing. She loved him now, more than ever. It would take her some time to completely comprehend his problems, issues and all that he had just told her about. Still, she wanted to be a part of his life, a permanent part of it. His tale, no tale, could change that opinion of hers. She wanted to be next to him the next time he encountered problems. She wanted to be there for him the next time he needed someone to lean on. She wanted to be the one he would turn to when he needed a friend to understand… She wanted to be there for him, at all times, in all places.

Yet what could she say to this? How could she tell him all those things without scaring him off? They sounded too serious for senior high school students, improper for such a conversation. How could she show him how much she loved him without becoming obsessive and possessive of his actions and wishes the same way he had accused ChiChi of being towards Goku?

"I need to be alone," he stated suddenly, derailing her train of thought.

"No, Vegeta!" she exclaimed, refusing to let go of his waist as her hands had been there for the last half an hour during the whole story he told her, comforting his suppressed shudders caused by revolting memories. "You have to eat something and drink before you pass out! I don't know how strong you might think you are, but you're still a mortal. Come on; let's go to Capsule Corporation so I feed you something nice my mom cooked. You like my mother's dishes, don't you?" He shook his head sternly at her. She didn't understand.

"I'm not in the mood to eat or drink anything… I can't stand you pitying me. I don't want to see you right now… I need to be alone with me thoughts…"

"Pity you?" she asked incredulously. "You're mistaken there. I do not pity you – I admire you," she told him frankly, staring deep into his dark orbs. "You're the strongest person I had ever seen, Vegeta – both mentally and physically! You're so different than everyone else, you're so complicated and understanding, you're so terrific and a wonderful and thoughtful boyfriend when you want to be – how could I possibly let go of you? I can't get enough of you; I can't even separate myself from you! You mean everything to me!" She buried her face in the crook of his neck.

Another pause ensued as her boyfriend didn't retort. She didn't know how to understand that but she was just content with holding him. She had missed him so much and in the same time after what he had just said she inevitably looked at him differently. He was her hero now, an inhumanely strong-willed person in her eyes. She tried to hide this from him and hoped that he would oblige and come to eat something with her. But when he spoke, all she could do was frown.

"Leave; now;" he demanded sternly, in the same eerily quiet voice that he had used earlier on him.

"Vegeta—"

"_I said leave now, why won't you listen?_" he yelled insanely to her. He was ventilating some of the fury that had risen in him after letting all those painful memories resurface in his mind. "_Please leave! There, I said it! I even **asked** you to **kindly** leave me alone right now! Why are you still harping on the same tone, why are you so bent on angering me? Leave me to my thoughts, leave me alone!_"

She said nothing but unlaced her from around him. She stood up and gave him one last lingering impassive gaze before she shut the door quietly behind herself. She hoped he knew where to find her if he needed her for anything, anything at all. She would always be there for him.

"I'll leave now, if you insist so much, Vegeta… Take care of yourself…please?" she muttered breathlessly as she exited.

Once she was out of sight, the male buried his face in his bent knees which he pulled closer to his body with his arms' tight embrace, his shoulders and back trembling with soundless sobs. He couldn't have her see him like this… And he oddly found his release in such a humiliating act… He felt embarrassed, incredibly humiliated, for even thinking of performing such a thing, but the relief his soul felt was immeasurable with human measures and was beyond the mind's comprehension…

He had gone to hell and back again… but he was still _alive_…

_Please… please stop… no more pain… I can take no more…_

But he knew he could and he would… He had to calm himself… because he was a warrior. And a warrior _never_ cried…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

**LIVE JOURNAL FOR MY ELABORATED NOTES ON THE CHAPTER!**

This chapter took approximately _twelve_ (12!) hours to complete, and a major neglecting of important school work. I hope that at least _that_ is enough of a reason for you to review. (**Grins**) Thanks in advance!

**Highest regards to Son Christine, whose fanfic title inspired the title of the chapter! Thank you, girl!**

Next time: _Chapter Twenty-Four: Do You Love Me?_


	24. Ch24: Do You Love Me?

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Twenty-Four: Do You Love Me?_

After he was done being pathetic—as he had referred to it to his mind—Vegeta had been standing still for the longest of times. At first sight it might appear to the untrained eye that he was practically idling but that was a dreadfully wrong presumption, because no vacuous staring in one point was as emotionally draining as his was.

Even though he had finally succeeded in releasing all those pent up feelings and frustrations that had suppressed him over all those years, he still felt as terrible and empty as ever, if not possibly even more so. He wasn't certain what exactly to think of himself anymore, what to think of his life, of his relationships with various people, about his future and his capabilities… And he most certainly had no idea what to make of the current situation he was finding himself in…

He had just chased out his girlfriend from the room after spilling all his sacred precious secrets to her. He had probably scared her off for good with all those things he had said, with all the things he had done in the past, with all that he had once been and would continue to be. He was keeping as far away from society as humanly possible; he had disappeared in the woodwork for three days straight now. And he was certain that he had made it perfectly clear to everyone who knew him that he didn't appreciate visitors, pursuers or any of the sorts, so he could forget being pulled out by force out of his dusty crappy old apartment. Not for mentioning was the fact he had perhaps driven away the only person who would stay and argue his reasons for longer than five minutes in whole and she had actually done her very best at trying to make him understand where he stood at this particular point in time. But even as she had put up her very best effort, it couldn't get through his thick skull; none of what she had said had penetrated the multi-layered shell that was his head. At least, not until now, when he had time to mull over all the things that had been said and done… all the things for the past two years that had happened to and with his life…

He had never done this before – sitting there and trying to figure things out, trying to make a difficult decision; namely – what exactly would happen next? He had never before been faced with a decision so heavy and burdening… And it helped none that it all depended on him and him alone.

What should he do? How should he act; around his girlfriend, around his friends, around his ex-friends? Should he continue acting like this, keeping away from anything that moves and thinks on its own accord or should he reacquaint himself with his friends that were probably worried for him by now… or maybe they weren't? Were they his real friends, after all those terrible things he always said and did…? Did they even care for him any longer or they had already written him off? Did he have the will-power to stand up again and to be faced with all the shit that had chased after him his entire life? What about the bubbling power in his veins? Did he have the inner strength to suppress urges that were greater than him? Was there a way to keep those emotions under complete control? Was there a way he could attain inner peace once again without having to humiliate himself in front of anyone anymore?

So many questions rained on his mind mercilessly, pounding on the surfaces of his consciousness like giant frozen droplets, creating small craters in his mind with every single hit of them. The answers to all those lay in him and he knew it… but he didn't like some answers and he didn't want to think about them at all. He had known the answers to those questions for a long time now but avoided them for as long as he could, he was postponing the agonizing realizations. But he could postpone no more. It was now or never. He knew why he couldn't find inner peace; he knew why those forces of his were raging like ocean waves splashing against the rocky coast. It was his entire fault… It had always been his fault… He had always known so many things but paid little to no heed to them at all… and his guilty conscience was now swooping on him tenfold for all the mistakes he had done…

Things like his mother's death and that he had killed his father were long mourned over and buried. He had long since come to terms that he would never appreciate ChiChi's presence as a permanent part of Goku's life, or would he ever like her. He was, too, quite used to being labeled bisexual, though those who spread such rumors had no idea that wasn't the case at all. He was dandy with being famous, drooled over the sight of or just plain Vegeta – it was what he was, after all, and he didn't want to change that – he was used to those things for goodness' sake! He was fine with what he had been transformed into from the nineteen years of life he had led. Sure, he was no saint, but nor was anyone he knew, and he knew _many_ people.

The three issues that wouldn't let his mind rest were called Hailie, Rain and Bulma. He was utterly confused as what to think of those people and where they stood in his life. Also there was the fact that his mind wouldn't cease nagging at him because of the way he had completely alienated himself without listening to any of their reasons from his once two best friends in the entire world…

He could vividly remember, as if it had happened yesterday, how bitter Rain had been every time Vegeta had told him of his advances on their mutual auburn-haired friend. All those situations, grimaces, silences which were remembered and just stored away somewhere in the back of his mind, as if they were unimportant and easily neglected without remorse. And perhaps they had been easily neglected… until now. He could no longer claim himself right and everyone else not just because they had done him wrong… Yes, a _great_ wrong it had been, indeed, but it hadn't been done on groundless reasons…

He could recall all those times when he had spoken to Rain about Hailie before he had asked her out and his best friend's reactions…

_The two of them were eating noodles from the nearest Chinese restaurant just down the street, enjoying the music in the background as they stared out the spacious dining room window which covered most of the wall in front of them. It was a beautiful view – the darkness had swathed the busy city but that didn't seem to bother its inhabitants the least. All those colorful neon lights and lamps, the buzz of the busses and an occasional honk of an angry driver the symphony of the night-embraced capital. Yet the two boys' onyx eyes were sightless to the scenery, their young heads too troubled with problems a sixteen-year-old should know nothing about._

"_How's Hailie?" the taller one suddenly spoke, his words slicing the silence like a solid knife cutting through an exceptionally defiant piece of cheese. _

_Although the tense atmosphere, the other youth seemed to lighten up a little at the prospect of the upcoming conversation. _

"_I'm quite certain she's improving a lot! As soon as she comes out of the hospital, I think of asking her out—"_

"_Did she mention anything about me?" The taller boy interrupted his friend's enthusiastic retort, not really in the mood to hear the end to that sentence. The flame haired boy's face twisted in anger for being interrupted—he hated that greatly—but decided to let it slip just this once as his expression fixed into a thoughtful frown now, replaying the entire scene at the hospital in his mind before answering._

"_As a matter of fact, she did, and she said that she's angry with you. You should better come and visit her sometime. Maybe that could cheer her up a bit. She's falling behind with her studies and maybe with you paying her a visit she'll accelerate some more once again." He slurped the remains of his noodles, turning the box with its bottom upwards._

_A heavy sigh tore from his friend's lungs as he set down his pair of sticks and noodles carton. His dark eyes turned wistful, distant for a moment before he retorted, "Yes… I supposed she'd be angry with me…" and with that he stood up and left his buddy baffled, standing alone in the spacious kitchen, wondering what exactly he had said wrong…_

And that was by far not the first or the last time something like that had happened between the two of them…

"_Rain, what the hell is wrong with you?" yelled a spiky-haired boy as he swung another boy around by his arm, forcing their two pairs of utterly matching onyx eyes to lock in a fierce mute battle. "You're upsetting her by not even acknowledging her existence! I thought we were all an inseparable team!" His voice had risen to alarming heights to anyone close to the pair, but his counterpart knew him better than anyone else and knew that there was nothing to be afraid about. Vegeta Ouji's short temper was famed all over the city by now for the boy had become quite famous along the streets but Rain's reputation of a skating bad boy didn't fall far behind either._

"_Well, I'm really sorry I can be of no help to a child and his hopeless unrequited crush, but—"_

"_So now I'm a child, am I?" Vegeta interrupted him rudely, trying his best to ignore the rest of the sentence which he refused to admit had hit home with him. "I am a child by believing things will really get better? I am a child by just _being close to her _when _you_ act childishly, not even coming to see her? Fine then, I shall be a child to you, _father_." Rain's eyes squinted until they were mere malicious slits. He hated it when his best friend referred to him that way… because he knew perfectly well how much Vegeta had resented his father, although the reference had nothing to do with that fact currently. "I'll just go on being childish and a real friend while you alienate yourself from us! Be that way, we don't care!" And with that he had stormed off, fuming, his ears deaf to any reasoning._

_Even though faintly, he had caught Rain's last muttered words before managing to stalk away from him as far as possible before he said something that would really upset his best friend,_

"_You're a child for still believing in miracles, you fool…"_

And again…

_A very happy seventeen-year-old Vegeta stalked his best friend who had his back turned to the vulture, eyes fixed on the skaters he was teaching how to skate properly. He didn't notice much of improvement in those guys but that didn't matter right then. His mind was too occupied to be bothered by such insignificant things… _

"_Hey, Rain!" greeted Vegeta as he lined up with Rain who stood some good several inches taller than his compact frame. _

"_Hey…" the other muttered half-heartedly, his eyes dull and piercing. Although it was his best friend next to him, the other boy paid no heed to his fellow's obvious discontent with something. He was far too blinded with the happiness overwhelming him to take in any of his surroundings coherently. _

"_Guess what!" he continued with the same toothy smirk of a grin, his mood not faltering even an ounce._

"_You won from the lottery to repay all your debts to me," he heard the impassive retort of his companion. The spiky-haired boy snickered._

"_No."_

"_Then I don't want to play that game." Rain's eyes were as dull and hollow as ever._

"_I asked Hailie out and she said yes!" Vegeta's voice's volume grew again, reaching heights his counterpart would rather not hear for such statements… It all just made the older and taller boy feel even more uneasy around the person he honored with the title 'best friend'… And, though he wasn't much experienced on such topics, he knew that best friends shouldn't feel that way towards each other… and especially not when one of them is ignorant to the other's torment. As he had already mentioned, he didn't have much first-hand experience in such matters as they were quite a new aspect to him, yet Rain was deadly sure someone you call your closest of friends should notice things like your discomfort with a particular topic or person, or will at least ask you about your feelings on it every once in a while if you keep a steadfast silence every time it is brought up… "I came to ask for your blessing." The other boy pulled the higher guy out of his thoughts with his ecstatic joking statement._

_Even though he loved Vegeta—as a friend—more than he had loved and cherished anyone else; even though he appreciated their friendship more than anything he had ever had in his life, Rain couldn't digest that information properly. The girl he had had the most serious of crushes on for the past year and a half had accepted his best friend's proposal… He couldn't believe it. He had always stored some sort of a tiny hope that she requited his feelings, secretly as he did… He had always thought that their feelings were at least partly mutual… that she'd need time to consider such a proposal from anyone other than himself… Now those hopes were gone, reduced to ashes and scattered in all earthly directions from the ruthless wind… She preferred Vegeta to him… She liked Vegeta more than she liked him… He didn't mind that, he didn't mind his best friend's attraction to the girl. She was fantastic – how could he blame him? _

_Without a word, the male walked forward to the skaters. He stopped in mid-step to inform his friend quietly, "I'll go check up on those fools… They'll cripple themselves soon…" and continued towards his students, unable to look back at the grinning face of a boy who needed Hailie more than he did._

_He couldn't bear to look at the person his feelings were betraying… every day and every night of the past year and a half… _

_He was a terrible person… He didn't deserve her, didn't deserve Vegeta… He didn't deserve even to live…_

Again and again such things had happened between the two of them… Encounters that were to be paid attention to yet failed to receive a satisfactory amount of such. He had been such a selfish prick… He had deserved to be hurt…

Yet the bigger part of his consciousness—his oh-so-famous pride—out shouted his conscience, saying no on deserved to be lied to, toyed with, deceived by his closest ones and least of all him. He had done nothing to those two to deserve that kind of treatment… He had done them no wrong and yet they had obediently remained silent until they both could no longer suppress their urges. Why? Why had they both fooled him for all that time? Why didn't they tell him to his face, Rain that he didn't want Vegeta with Hailie and his girlfriend that she didn't want to be _his_ girlfriend? He would've accepted that. Yes, he would've yelled, kicked and hit; he would have been incredibly pissed off at first, but he would have obliged anyway, he would've let them be and they all would've stayed friends. Yes, perhaps a bit bitter, but it would've faded with time… So why… why in _Hell's name_ had they both lied to him for so long? Why were they so bent on breaking him apart? Perhaps they didn't know it… but though inhuman as he was, his psyche still had limitations to the _amount of pain and disappointment in life he could endure!_ How hard was that to comprehend?

Ranging as he was, he could still imagine several reasons for them to keep his illusory world whole… They both respected him; they both loved him and wanted the best for him… They were two of his three best friends in the entire world! They couldn't possibly admit their betrayal to him by saying they preferred each other to him… He could imagine himself doing the very same thing… Yet he was certain that he wouldn't sleep with Rain's girlfriend before telling him how things actually stand. Either that or he would keep his affections for her to himself forever…

…Or at least if that girl had been Hailie, he thought bitterly.

Hailie just hadn't been the girl for him. She had neglected him, tried to make it clear to him that she didn't want him as badly as he had wanted her… and he had still insistently returned to her, crawled back to her like the pathetic kid he had been, getting kicked off time and time again… He hadn't realized what real attraction was before he had met Bulma. He hadn't realized what it was to feel yourself a better person with your counterpart before he had met Bulma… and he could well relate to Rain's feelings now… for he was sure Hailie and Rain were made for each other.

He could well imagine how hard it had been to keep their feelings to themselves all that time, pretending to be content with the lives they led, with the intrusion that he was to their personal space, although they most certainly didn't feel him that way. They were probably eaten by twice bigger remorse than he was… but he still couldn't forgive them… He couldn't understand! Why! Why in Hell did they keep on pretending for so long, _WHY_?

He buried his head in his bent knees and pulled them closer to him to protect himself from the sudden coldness of the room.

And that's when Bulma came in the picture.

His life had been as peaceful as it could've possibly been, just the stereotypical womanizer that he was, always amused with each morning by waking up next to a different girl every god forsaken day. And then she had to waltz in and ruin everything for him by making him feel… _foolish_ all over again, if not even more so than he had before. When he had talked to her, he had met someone to match his intellect, someone to match him in argument, someone to keep a conversation interesting for longer than ten minutes in total. She was beautiful, rich, a role model to most girls her age—probably—and she had a temper unrivaled by most. She possessed a thick-headedness in various situations that could almost match up his; she was stubborn, stern with the decisions she had already taken, yet kind and non-demanding of him when it came to keeping his mask of impassiveness around her.

To describe her with one word, she was all he ever wanted…

…and yet he was hesitating! Why, you can't help asking? He wasn't certain of that himself…

He was afraid… No, Vegeta Ouji was never afraid, but he found himself petrified now… He had to take a fateful decision for himself which would change his world entirely…

If he surrendered and officially made it clear to her that his defenses were down in her vicinity, she could easily use that knowledge against him any time she wished. She could make use of it, try and manipulate him with it… He didn't want to have that… He was afraid of being weak… He was horrified by being weak in front of others, because that meant just all the more trouble for him, for weakness could only beget more weakness… He didn't want to be hurt ever again, for the only way he had left available for others to get to him now was by taking a special place in his stone cold heart and then sticking a spear through it… A really agonizing prospect it was, indeed.

He wanted to believe she wouldn't do that, that she wasn't that kind of a person, but he couldn't completely make the whole of him believe those tempting words, truthful as they were. The disappointments, the betrayals… all of them had left a mark burnt on his memory, reminding him painfully every time he attempted to trust another how it felt to be betrayed… He had taken it all three times – he wasn't certain he could take a fourth blow to his pride…

And on the other hand was pushing his girlfriend away completely, refusing her help, acting as though everything had been just a long nightmare of hers or something preposterous like that. He could pretend that all the things he had said he had not, he could pretend all the things he had done he hadn't… but that wasn't really a choice was it? It was about time he learnt how to face the consequences of his actions, how to face the difficulties in his life without having to run away from them and to do as if his problems were solved by just fleeing shamefully. He was a man now and he had to act like one!

Although with admitting his "everlasting and unrelenting love for her" he had to face not only the maturity of the situation but also the responsibility as well. The girl would require his full attention, probably, his full affection, compassion, ability to comfort her when needed and whatnot… All things that he had to change himself to become, things that required special effort on his behalf… It would only strain him even more. Mental strain made him want to lie down and wait to die, peaceful, unthinking… numb with pain… He couldn't change, not even for her. Changes were painful; it made him writhe in pain every time there was a change in his life. He had bitter previous experience with changes and he didn't want to continue enduring them…

Yet if he wasn't adaptable, he just wouldn't survive. It was the way this life worked…

So there he stood, pondering, musing over the dilemma simple enough to be able to be put down with words yet crucifying enough not to be thought lightly of: should he trust another and hazard another betrayal or should he just rot in his past mistakes, repeating them time and time again?

The answer, as ever, was already configured in his mind. But it didn't matter which of the options he picked because both were equally petrifying for both were based on one and the same thing… Namely, changes.

And Vegeta Ouji _abhorred_ vicissitudes…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

It had been two days.

Two days and not even a word from her beloved Vegeta… Two days of utter ignoring on his part and two days in which she had put all her effort to try and comprehend all those things he had told her, to try and imagine what it was to be him. She had been listening to music, seated not-so-comfortably as she would have liked horizontally across an armchair, her back resting against one arm and knees over the second one. She had been staring out the window for the longest of times, completely motionless save for the rhythmical rises and falls of her chest, the wheels of her mind turning with rapid speeds.

Yet no matter how often she had tried to force herself to think of those things in particular, her mind just repelled off all her attempts, making her feel weak against her own barriers. She just couldn't figure _what exactly_ was it that she had to understand… Those things… she had just wanted to know them to be able to relate Vegeta's actions to his past and that was all! The past of one human being was most definitely not the answer to the Universe and life in general… All those things were personal to him and she felt that the more she kept gnawing at them, the more she penetrated his personal space and becoming obsessive of him. And that was about the last thing she wanted to become of Vegeta – obsessive.

She could quite picture how much he loved having someone—be it his girlfriend or not—demand where he had been, what he had been doing or what he planned to do. God, she knew how much _she_ hated to be obsessed over that way… It was utterly irritating! She would never turn into ChiChi, she had promised herself that long ago. Besides, Vegeta wasn't a person who needed to be watched over in that kind of way. He needed guidance in the emotional matters, in the social aspects…

She gave a very deep sigh, her lids heavy with sleep she had missed the night before because of the storm. Overnight it had reduced to a mere drizzle, but she could still see the droplets splashing against the massive windows of Capsule Corporation main quarters. Sighing again, she stood and walked over to her stereo—her taste in music long since heavily affected by her boyfriend's—switching the song off and immediately feeling the burdening waves of silence drown her in their deepness. Her pale hand lingered over the machine a little longer than hovered towards her body again as she decided to place herself a bit closer to the window.

Bulma Briefs was a smart girl—labelled a genius even among her schoolmates—but for once she had encountered a problem that she couldn't solve… She had no idea how to act towards her boyfriend now… now that he had finally confided in her the way she had wanted him to all along. She should've listened to that old saying, as it proved to be quite truthful – "be careful what you wish for; it might come true."

She had wanted to know what drove him to do the things he did, what had shaped him in the person he was… She would've never thought him to be a murderer, or _that_ complicated of a person. Everything about him was so complex; it was like a net of actions and reactions… But what kept bugging her was his childhood…

Even though he had been terribly little at the time and probably couldn't even come close to the control he had showed her that night when he went in a rampage, it was a fact – he was a killer. He had killed his own flesh and blood. He needed help. But, yet again, she wasn't sure what kind of help it was or if he even wanted it. She couldn't call anyone professional—the way her sanity wanted her to, but she couldn't enforce her help on him either—as her heart willed her to. He was dangerous; he could probably kill her at any point – while she slept, while she ate, while she bathed, _anytime_!

But then again—she slapped herself mentally for all those thoughts—this was Vegeta she was thinking about for goodness' sake! Her boyfriend, her counterpart! The person that was the closest thing to a soul mate she would _ever_ find. She shouldn't even be considering those things, as Vegeta was a person mentally stronger than _anyone_ she would ever know. And she knew that he loved her, no matter he didn't admit such a thing aloud. And, because of all those things he had told her about in his past, she was certain he would never be able to hurt her, psychically as well as physically; he would never be able to cause her any sort of harm, especially not because of little self-control.

She could be sure that, in his arms, she would ne securer from the world than anywhere else on the planet… because she trusted him, because she trusted his self-restraint and his strength.

Her azure orbs observed impassively the trickles of the clouds' tears sliding down the glassy surface, racing each other mutely for which would reach the ground first and she thought she might just have fallen asleep before she had seen it. A figure in the rain stood right beyond the front yard's fence, staring idly at the front door ahead, motionless. She blinked again and again, as if that would help her any in cleaning the windows which were blurring her vision but no matter how hard she tried, she still couldn't rid herself of the vision of an erect onyx-colored halo of spiked hair around the subject's head. And, sure enough, once she had opened the front door, it proved her hunch had been correct – he boyfriend was standing there under the rain, staring at her front door indecisively and unmoving…

She wasn't exactly sure what he wanted her do to. Perhaps he was testing when would she have seen him, when would she join him after noticing him… Or maybe he hadn't intended to see her at all and she was intruding now… But whatever it was, she didn't care. What she saw perfectly clear was a person she deeply cared for getting drenched in times when immunity falls dramatically with no prospect of finding shelter from the rain which was growing heavier by the second now.

In her haste Bulma had completely forgotten about umbrellas, overcoats or jackets of any sorts, rushing outside practically naked and getting soaked with the blood-freezing water immediately, causing violent shivers to course up and down her spine, shaking her being to the core. But even though she was immensely cold, she wouldn't budge. She stood in front of his sightless eyes, staring up at him, trying to catch his attention subtly. When the plan proved not to work at all she decided to change the tactics.

"Vegeta, what the Hell are you doing out here?" she yelled shrilly over the racket that the falling droplets were creating around them. "Let's get you inside before we both catch a cold—"

"I don't catch colds," he informed her monotonously, coolly. She stared for a longer moment at him but shrugged it off almost instantly.

"Well I'm glad you don't but I do and it won't harm you in any way to just get _in the house_—"

"I don't want to get in the house." This time she withheld none of her bafflement and stared incredulously at him, making him add, "Before I know where I stand."

Bulma's arms crossed over her chest and her eye brow popped up inquiringly.

"And that is a matter to be discussed under the mind-numbingly cold rain?" Her question was quite logical and adequate but he didn't honor it with an answer. He just stared at her with that vacuous impassive gaze of his that scarred her soul every time she looked at him those past few days (well, the times she had actually _met him_, face-to-face).

"I want to make things perfectly simple and clear for you." He took a deep breath, as if preparing to submerge. "I don't plan on changing on your whim, I don't plan on being the same boyfriend the scar faced freak has been, I don't think I'll ever openly show any affection to you even when we're alone and completely in private and I most definitely hate to be controlled, pitied or toyed with. Once I commit myself to a cause, I commit myself to it fully. That should mean that once I am with you, I am with you until I can no longer make this relationship work. Things with me are quite more complicated than with your average boy my age, woman, I am certain you have figured as much over the months we had known each other." His eyes scanned hers for any visible reaction to his words. "I will probably never be able to forget all that has once been and it will most probably never let me at peace but as hard as I tried the past few days, I just couldn't picture my life without you…" His gaze didn't avert at this although she was ready to bet it would have.

What a coincidence – she had been thinking just the same thing over the past week as well! Life without Vegeta would be the dullest thing that could ever happen to you after being honored by carrying the title "Ouji's girlfriend" for months on end…

"I have confided in you, I had put my trust in you two days ago but don't let that mar your decision. All I ask you is to be honest with me; it's not a very hard thing to do in my opinion…" His onyx orbs suddenly grew hard, stern, determined… anxious…

Then he was quiet for a long gap of time, just studying her facial features, perhaps readying himself for her refusal to whatever he was there to offer; she wasn't certain what he had meant with all those things by now… She knew that he looked extremely cute with his hair drenched by the cold fluid poring from the sky, his clothes clinging hungrily to his body in the same way that she craved to entwine her arms around him to comfort him, to shield him from all thoughts but those of her, of them and their relationship which served as a refuge to both of them from the outer world. But now wasn't the time to think of such things; she had to be serious about this as Vegeta looked to be deadly serious about it.

At last, he had figured how to say it as short as he could, "Bulma…" he began hoarsely, his voice uncharacteristically calm and quiet. "Do you love me?"

His gaze was holding hers for any signs of non-verbal answers intently.

Her initial urge was to say "Of course, what did you think" or "Didn't I already say that the day before yesterday, silly" or something just in the same spirits. However, listening to your instincts around Vegeta, especially the pissed off Vegeta she was used to dealing with, was one of the biggest mistakes you could commit. She had no experience with this vulnerable Vegeta's reactions, but patronizing was most definitely the worst course of action she could take.

So instead she just took her time to think what he meant exactly with that kind of question. Certainly, he had listened to her two days ago when she had referred to him as someone whom she loved very much and worried a lot about.

He had actually packed so many things in four words it was almost mind-numbing and the temperature or humidity had nothing to do with it.

He wanted to know if she was ready to accept him as he had described himself to be: selfish, unchanging, arrogant, observant, understanding, thoughtful. He wanted to know if she still wanted to be with him after knowing that he was a killer—an idea that hadn't exactly hit home with her those two entire days—and claimed himself to be a monster… He wanted to know if she wanted a relationship with someone as deeply scarred for life, as damaged emotionally as he was. He wanted to know if she would be honest with him the way he had wanted his two former friends to have been with him and to be able to tell him at any point that she no longer felt comfortable with him if need came. He wanted to know if she could trust him, after knowing all those things he had said and done in the past, and if she would be still willing to go through all the difficulties of keeping his trust. He wanted to know if she was willing to give herself—utterly and entirely—the way he was willing to leave himself to her…

… He wanted to know whether she _really_ loved him, whether she was still _in love_ with him… after all the things said and done between them…

And to all those—countless and endlessly important to one's heart's peace and sanity questions—she had one easy and truthful, honest answer.

"Yes, Vegeta; I love you." Her voice was soft, soothing; her cerulean eyes locked with his just as sternly, unmoving… crystalline beautiful pair of sapphires…

She saw the flicker of a smile cross his features for a split second—such a marvelous curve of his lips—before he gathered her in his embrace. Caught off-guard by such an open display of affection that he had assured her she wouldn't meet in his face, she returned his odd hug reluctantly at first before she felt the comfortable warmth that she had always adored about him and she cuddled as closer to him as she could get. She smiled against his shoulder, enjoying the sensation of being in his arms with no sexual implements applied in the simple gesture for the only times when she felt allowed to embrace him were their heated nightly sessions—which she missed incredibly, by the way.

"Promise me you'll never leave me, Bulma…" he muttered quietly with his head buried in her damp lavender hair.

"It couldn't possibly even cross my mind, honey…" She felt her smile grow as his hold on her tightened slightly after her words. He didn't want to let go of her. He couldn't feel the coldness of the surroundings. All he could feel was her body next to his, her form in his arms, the way they perfectly fulfilled each other… the perfect whole that they created… He had missed that… He had missed it terribly.

And he would see to it that he would never have to miss it again.

Unaware of it, Vegeta had already begun to change, perhaps for once for the better in his entire existence…

Her face was already soaked to the bone, the pouring rain washing away the tears which spilled from the pair of cerulean eyes as her smile bloomed into a full-blown grin.

She had never been happier in her entire life…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Brief, short of an explanation perhaps, but the rest about Vegeta's psyche you'll have to figure out by yourselves. ;) Either way, please review to have next chapter out as soon as possible. Also, if you're interested, check out **Live Journal of a scheme of the remaining chapters and the main ideas about their contents.**

**_A small note to "kareen"_**, the first reviewer to piss me off as entirely for the past year or so. I have already written my initial reaction in my Live Journal to her review, but I'd like to add a little something to the author's note of this chapter as well for all of you who'd like to flame that way too. Keep your opinions to yourself about the frequency of my updates as long as the gap between them doesn't exceed a month—if it does, I officially allow you to lynch me in most torturous of ways. Otherwise how often I update _one_ of my stories is _none_ of your concern. Either you like or don't that frequency – deal with it or leave it.

To get the point why I'm so pissed off, check the review… and tell me if it won't piss _you_ off if you were an author too! Is it _that_ hard to fathom that some of us don't have computers at their hostels and that they have lives going on _outside_ FanFictionNet?

Anyway, _PLEASE REVIEW:) Yours sincerely, DHA._


	25. Ch25: It's Been a While

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Twenty-Five: It's Been A While…_

They had been standing under the rain with Bulma shivering like a leaf for the longest of times. It was a moment frozen in time, a moment they both wanted to imprint on their memories, to treasure… Neither wanted to say anything, afraid to break the perfect moment, afraid to be the one to shatter the soothing tranquility of their embrace, to ruin the symphony of the falling droplets of crystalline water…

With her head pressed firmly against the side of his neck, his calm chuckle seemed to rumble directly in her own body, sending another shiver down her spine, though this one had nothing to do with the weather conditions. What a pleasant sound his chuckle was… she could listen to him endlessly, laughing, talking, humming… His voice was beautiful…

"Let's get you inside before you catch a cold," he said with another chuckle. She made an attempt to join him in his amusement but managed only a gagged sound and a strangled smile through thin purple lips.

"Since my brain is too wet and frozen to come up with something witty, let's just speed it up a bit, huh?"

This time he laughed full-heartily and—frozen though her facial muscles were—she managed a smile. Yes… his voice was truly beautiful… especially when he laughed… and for her.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

After they had gone inside the house, they had taken a shower—together—but—frozen though her whole body was it had still longed for him for such a long time—they had done nothing but shower—a great disappointment to Bulma, although she had noted with some satisfaction that not _all_ of Vegeta was saying 'no' to her naked body under the streaming water.

She was now in front of her vanity mirror, drying her hair with her towel while her boyfriend was enjoying a few minutes to himself under the shower. He had told her he would be right out and that he needed a bit of time to himself. She had concurred with his plea, if only slightly reluctantly, wondering if he would be alright by himself under the hot water… After all, no matter how strong he was, he hadn't eaten or drunk anything recently and he was certainly feeling faint by the time…

No more than five minutes after the thought crossed her mind, the spiky-haired boy exited the adjoining bathroom, releasing a satisfying amount of hot stream in her room. He shook his head and smothered onyx spikes in an attempt to bring them back up, to their original state. He had just a towel around his waist and she was allowed a full look over his body. She frowned at what she saw. He was thinner than she had ever seen him… Perhaps someone else wouldn't have noticed, but she did. And what she saw she didn't like, at _all_… Vegeta was the healthiest person she had known her whole life and seeing him like this made her feel bad…

"I've brought you some of my father's normal clothes which he never actually wears. Pick whichever you like and then we go down for supper."

"Is that an order?" he joked while putting on a t-shirt that was several sizes too big for him.

"As a matter of fact, it is." He gave her a skeptical glare. "Don't look at me that way, mister! Look at yourself! You're so _thin_! You've almost melted away completely! No boyfriend of mine is going to keep getting thinner under my roof. You were perfectly fine when we met. It's time you return your usual form. I have called the chef here today especially for you and I have ordered her to cook your favourite. I expect nothing less but seeing you downstairs and witnessing your plate's contents all gone after you're done." Bulma smiled at the complacent smirk that crossed her boyfriend's lips.

"Wonderful… Let's get downstairs then. I feel like I can eat a few dozen stakes right now." He rubbed his hands together at the prospect but was put to an abrupt—and unexpected—halt by his girlfriend's finger poking his chest and her slender figure blocking his path when he attempted to go down for supper. He frowned firmly. "_Now_ what did I do? Am I breathing too loud for your liking or something?" To his greatest surprise, she laughed at that. It wasn't forced, which was even further puzzling. He hadn't even said anything witty… Something was wrong with her, he deduced.

Bulma, on the other hand, was enjoying the fact that her boyfriend was—indeed, it was obvious even in his speech—that he was truly picking himself up and together. It was a thought that made her laugh and caused tears of joy to sparkle in her eyes. She had been so afraid for him after what he had told her. She had never, even in her wildest dreams, expected that such a person like him could even exist. People made attempts at suicide for even less reasons, went insane for half of what he'd been through and—if they made it through all the stages he had—disturbingly resembled walking corpses. But not him—he was so… _energetic_ and… inhumanly strong mentally. How was he doing it? Even now, he was glaring at her, with his usual intensity, wanting nothing more than to fill his growling stomach, doing as if all those things he had told her about had never happened. She admired him, she adored him, she truly loved him and all of a sudden the desire to embrace him overwhelmed her…

…But she knew better than to "attack" him so suddenly. Although he had possibly bared his soul to her she was certain that he was no more physical of a person than he had been beforehand. So, she was satisfied with just telling him, "You didn't do anything _wrong_, silly."

She even got a perverse kind of joy from seeing his nose wrench in disgust at the word she had used for him—he hated it and used the same expression on her as if she had just mentioned the "C" word in reference to him, which is to say, cute ("I am _not_ 'cute', woman! I am _hot_, handsome, gorgeous, _whatever_, but _not cute_! Teddy bears, fluffy bunnies and other things that make girls squeal moronically are _cute_ and _I_ am _not_! Why are you looking at me like that? Stop laughing this instant I tell you!). "But you're in too great of a hurry. She got here just while we were in the shower and she probably hasn't cooked anything yet."

His arms seemed to cross by themselves as his glare faltered slightly while he watched her just as intently.

"I'll go check how she's progressing and you wait for me here, okay?" She pulled herself on her tiptoes and placed a brief peck on his pouting lips and turned to leave, but not before hearing him snort and retort,

"You're treating me as if I'm a troublesome ten-year-old…" he grumbled as he threw himself on her bed and fetched the remote control for her television set.

"Aren't you? Well, perhaps with the difference that you're a troublesome nineteen-year-old, which is—I dare say—worse." She giggled when he threw her a glare with his jaw firmly set.

"Weren't you checking how dinner was going?"

Her laugh echoed down the staircase as she descended. Despite himself, Vegeta smirked at the TV and it had nothing to do with the show he was watching. He turned to a side with his back to the door, resting his head on his arm, eyes glued to the fast moving pictures of the TV… mesmerizing him, making him feel dizzy… Just thinking about the juicy stakes Bulma's chef made caused saliva to pool in his mouth. When was the last time he had eaten? Three days ago… or was it? He had been so delirious at the time he couldn't remember… What had he eaten… Had it been a burger, perhaps…? Or maybe he had cooked himself something… He was such a terrible cook… Well, at least it was acceptable when there was nothing in the fridge… His fridge was… so white…

And, before he knew it, his breathing had become very even and he was fast asleep…

Five or so minutes later, Bulma was climbing the stairs taking two at a time, helping herself with a hand gripping the railing tightly with a huge grin plastered on her face.

"Vegeta, you're not going to believe this!" She exclaimed in an enthusiastic voice. "Bertha's almost ready with your first dish of—" But she didn't get to finish the sentence as she clamped her hand over her mouth when she circled his still body on her bedcovers. He had been so tired that he hadn't even had the time to wait for supper.

Smiling serenely, she fetched some comfortable covers and threw them over her sleeping boyfriend.

Before she retreated, she marveled his sleeping frame. He looked so peaceful… His eye brows were finally—truly—eased… His expression looked almost tranquil and the slow rises and falls of his ribcage in the pose he had taken made him look like a small boy. She couldn't suppress her grin and didn't even try to. Bending over to place a brief kiss—lighter than a touch of a feather—on his forehead and tucking his covers around him before closing the door quietly and deciding not to let Bertha's cooking go to a waste. After all, it was pretty clear Vegeta would stay over for breakfast… at least.

It was about six pm at the time she did…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Busying herself with as many nonsensical activities as she could, Bulma had spent the rest of the evening outside her bedroom, thinking that, at some point, Vegeta would wake up and would want something to keep him busy as well before he went to bed again. However, when he gave no sign of waking up any time soon about midnight, she decided it would be for the best if she went to sleep as well. After all, he had probably quite strained himself lately and a few hours additional slumber wouldn't do anyone any harm.

Yet when she had to go to the mall around ten am to keep herself busy and not wake him, she started feeling a bit anxious an uneasy… He was alright… right?

Sighing, she climbed in her car and drove towards the towering building, hoping that when she got back, he'd be out of bed. If not, she was going to shake him awake… before he fell in a coma or whatever.

It is astounding how a rocket scientist can adopt such a childlike ignorance in their worry…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

He had moved no other muscle than the ones he used for breathing for more than seventeen hours now. His form was completely still, motionless on the soft firm mattress of Bulma's bed. But upon closer inspection, you would notice the rapid movements of his eyes below his eyelids…

He was dreaming.

_The boy's bloodied fingers trembled in despair. What had he done…? What kind of a monster was he…? Tears trickled down his beautiful infantile face and—despite the blood dripping from his wrists—he buried his head in his hands, willing the gruesome pictures out of his mind. He wasn't a terrible being… It had been his fault for provoking Vegeta! It had been his fault for… for…_

_A sob strangled his body and mind. He had killed her… Why? What had she done to the bastard? Hadn't she been good enough for him? Hadn't she given him her heart and soul, hadn't she been enough of a support over the years, even though the bastard's abusive nature? She had been an angel, had always been one… She represented everything good in this world to her only son…_

… _And now… she was gone… Just like that… What did he live for then?_

_In his anguish, the small boy didn't notice the group of men circling him._

"_Hey, kid, what are you doing in our part of the city?" His head snapped up, panicked eyes fixing on the thug that had spoken. _

"_Yeah, a child like you shouldn't be outside at a time like this." The stars shone mockingly over the second one's repulsing features._

"_Why don't you go back home and hide behind your mother's skirt?" They laughed at their little joke and missed the predatory look—the glare of a ruthless killer—crossing the boy's beautiful features. No, he wasn't a murderer… His mother would've been so ashamed of him… He couldn't… Agonizing, the flame-haired adolescent crawled in a small ball, grasping his head as the pain attacked him mercilessly._

"_Kid, this isn't funny anymore. Do you know what we're going to do with you?" When the boy paid no attention to him, the guy took Vegeta's arm and hauled him up to his eye-level. "We're going to beat you senseless."_

_Defend! Defend…! His instincts were screaming at him, trying to force him out of his torpor, but he couldn't move… He didn't want to move… He wasn't a killer, he wasn't a murderer, he wasn't a monster…! He was… he was a good boy, a unique boy… just like how his mother always said… He was just different… He wasn't…_

_He was going to be beaten to a pulp by creatures far inferior to himself… and he wasn't going to do anything about it. Because he deserved it… because he was a _monster_…_

_The thugs laughed while the one holding Vegeta's collar swung his fist back, ready to strike. But he never managed to strike the grieving boy as something caught his arm and gave it a firm jerk… forcing his shoulder out of its joint._

_With an ear-piercing brawl, the pathetic creature collapsed to his knees, holding his injured shoulder for his dear life. It took his buddies just a second to regroup and attack the newcomer._

_Vegeta's eyes were sightless to the bout and his ears deaf. He was staring at a spot on the concrete, thoughtless, emotionless… when a rough hand took a gentle hold of his shoulder, urging him to look up. So he did, coming face to face with a raven-haired boy with eyes that completely matched his in colour… _

"_Are you alright?" The voice… So gentle… Vegeta glanced over the crouching boy's shoulder at the thugs with fractures in the most astounding of places in their body and scrambling for their dear lives. His gaze returned to the stranger, his rescuer… Was he alright…? Could he _possibly_ be alright at a time like this? He shook his head and buried his head in his hands again. He was a monster, a monster, a _MONSTER_! "Go home and fix yourself up something warm for drink. Don't blame yourself for things that aren't your fault, okay?"_

_With a friendly pat, the boy was back to his feet and sauntered off with a girl that Vegeta had just noticed once his head snapped up at the guy's last words._

"_Wait, how did you—" A lucky guess? Vegeta didn't believe in luck or coincidence. This guy knew something about him, it knew about the incident that had occurred tonight… and he didn't like the prospect of it. But before he could question his saviour, the guy was already out of sight. _

_Still slightly shaky, the spiky-haired adolescent stood on his feet, staring through the darkness at nothing in particular. The ghost of a smile crossed his features. Well, he'd have to live on and see how that guy knew of him, wouldn't he?_

No, those weren't his dreams; they weren't creations of his mind…

They were things that had already happened…

_Vegeta dragged his feet along the street, impassive expression firm on his face. He was _so_ tired of this business shit. He had work to do, damn it! He didn't have time for school! But grandfather Gohan wouldn't have agreed with his reasoning and Vegeta didn't want to betray the man's trust._

'_The old man is _dead_, for God's sake, and I'm still dwelling over how he would've felt about this or that I do… Tche… My conscience is so pathetic…'_

_Before he knew it he was already in front of the door to his new class. He sighed in defeat. He was there anyway; the least he could do was enter…_

_However, upon entering, the first thing his eye caught was the flash of the same familiar raven hair that had haunted his dreams for all these years… There he was, his saviour from that night so long ago, talking to the girl next to him, also a person he remembered clearly, as if he had last seen him yesterday. It seemed that class had already begun because the teacher turned to look at him. She smiled._

"_Ah, Mr. Ouji, I am so glad you came." She turned to the class now. "Everyone, please listen here." The talking died down a bit. "This is Vegeta Ouji, he is in our class as of today. Please treat him well." Her eyes focused on Vegeta again. "You may take your seat now." _

"_Funky haircut dude."_

"_Where did you get it from? The wall-plug at home?"_

"_Aren't you a tall one…"_

_Words that meant nothing to him, words from people he cared none about, words from people who knew nothing about him… Mocking him, taunting him… trying to get to him… He didn't even flinch while he walked towards his seat, slumping down on it with a look of casual boredom while the comments continued. But one thing caught his eye and full attention… That boy… was staring at him._

"_What kind of a name is Vegeta?" Another bashing voice laughed._

"_It sounds regal to me." It was that boy, his past—and by what it looked like, current—rescuer. Vegeta blinked vacuously. Eh…?_

"_What? Regal…" The last verbal attacker narrowed his eyes in annoyance and confusion. "Where the hell did you get that kind of idea—"_

"_You know," the dark haired stranger began, pulling his desk (which was right next to the new guy's, as a matter of fact) closer to Vegeta's, "I know a language in which Ouji means "Prince"." The stranger smirked at the other boy. "Prince Vegeta… doesn't it have a tinge of nobility to it?"_

_Vegeta was speechless. In all his life, no one after his mother had dared to stand up for him in front of so many people… Even Kakarot, his best friend, couldn't defend him in such times (not that he would've _wanted_ Kakarot to, even if he could), as the fool was hopeless in verbal fights… And now…_

"_Why are you defending him like that? Doesn't he look weird to you?" someone piped in._

"_Some of us have been taught manners, difficult as it may be for you to understand that kind of thing," his saviour leered back at the intruder._

"_This has nothing to do with my manners!" the other boy flushed red._

"_Nothing ever does, now doesn't it, Zarbon?"_

_The fight continued on throughout the whole period, with the occasional interferences and threats from the angry teacher. And at the end of class…  
_

"_I never got to thank you," Vegeta muttered, looking at his desk._

"_Well, you are now," the raven haired guy answered him cheerfully, collecting his books._

"_I don't mean about today." In that moment their eyes met—matching pairs of midnight endless pools. Then the other boy smiled—not smirked, like he had done the whole day—at his new acquaintance._

"_You're welcome, my prince."_

_For the second time again, Vegeta adopted a very ridiculous in its silliness expression. Was it just him, or his heart had truly leaped at that…?_

These were his precious recollections, his reasons for being close to the person in those memories…

…They were his precious memories that he had ruthlessly sealed away in the back of his mind with full intentions of never remembering again…

"_What the hell is this?" Vegeta snapped, flipping a large—and rather heavy, if he could add—box in his hands. "What's it for?"_

_The other boy laughed lightly at that._

"_You can stop doing that now. Kakarot told me it's your birthday today."_

"_He did what…?" Vegeta glared at the opposite wall, submerging into thoughts of the most painful of deaths he could think of making his best friend endure once he got his hands on that goof's thick neck. Oh he was in _so_ much trouble…_

"_You couldn't have kept it a secret from me for all eternity, you know! Open it already, I'm getting restless!" The other boy joked while sitting down on Vegeta's bed._

"_It's a…" Vegeta lost his words once the wrapping was gone. "I thought that you didn't want me to…"_

"_Well, I could use a bit of serious competition, you know." His friend waved a dismissive hand. "Those guys I'm in the same gang with—they're hopeless, and the word doesn't even cover half of their incompetence while—Hey, what's wrong? You… don't like it?" The boy's eye brows narrowed in… disappointment and… hurt? Since when had he become so close to Vegeta…? _

"_No… I… don't like it." His counterpart stood up from his seat on the bed, glaring while the flame-haired teen placed his present on the floor before turning to him. Before he could react at all, Vegeta had already embraced him… which was a very eerie thing for the shorter boy to do, being as difficult a person as he was… "I love it! Thank you! _Thank you so much_!"_

_Without realizing it or just paying much heed to it, his friend released a long subtle sigh of relief before returning the hug awkwardly. If he had known that such a thing could evoke such feelings from his quiet calm friend…_

_He smiled. He was happy whenever his prince was happy…_

One name resounded in the confines of that small place full of memories… It rebounded off the walls in there, it pierced through his skull, and it made his mind agonize…

Rain…

"_Rain! Get out of our way!" The brute screamed in malign, glaring at the person at his acquaintance's feet._

"_Ha!" The boy called Rain snorted. "Do you seriously believe I would let you keep this up? You're on _my_ property right now and here _I _say what you do!"_

"_The little bastard stole from my mother's store, I saw him! Get him, boys!"_

_One of the ranting guy's cronies managed to land a punch in the Vegeta's gut, but everyone was soon on the ground, moaning and squirming in pain._

"_I stole _nothing!_ I am _not_ that kind of a person!" The flame-haired teen defended himself, his eyes burning with determination._

"_I couldn't possibly mistake that weird of a—" The guy suddenly fell silent while he watched another weird-haired type approach the pair._

"_Hey, Rain, Vegeta! How's it going?" He greeted as cheerfully as ever._

"_That's him, boss!" One of the writhing teens on the ground yelled. "That's the guy from earlier."_

"_Kakarot, did you really steal from them?" Rain asked, half-laughing._

"_Steal?"_

"_You _fool_!" Vegeta exploded. "Because of _you_ I get called a thief and a cheat! Why I ought to—"_

"_These things weren't paid for?" Goku scratched his head in a characteristic only for him way. "Gee, I'm really sorry, I didn't know. I'll recover your money right away." He started fishing in his pocket for his wallet, looking as innocent and harmless as ever, making the lying on the ground boys sweat drop. And all that fighting for nothing…_

_Vegeta's body was trembling in anger. He wanted to wrench Goku's head off his shoulders, stomp hard on it until he could jump no more, and— A hand on his shoulder stopped his train of thought and—although he didn't realize it—made his anger evaporate on the spot when he saw Rain's apologetic grin. He crossed his arms and glared at the orange hues of the dusk. _

_Well, what was done was done. But what truly mattered was that Rain had once again been there… for him…_

He squirmed in his sleep.

Things had gone so wrong… Why…?

_The troublemaking trio glared at the boys in the hallway, throwing their fist all over the place, kicking and punching each other's bodies in a berserk of hatred. And to think that those had been two best friends just a month ago…_

"_I can't believe they can be so infantile!" Rain quirked an eye brow while crossing his hands over his chest. _

"_And all that because of a girl…" Goku muttered, scratching his head in puzzlement. "Is it so difficult just to go ask her who she likes best and get it done with? What if she wants neither of them?" His eye brows furrowed. He just couldn't understand those people…_

_Vegeta observed the battling pair bruising each other's faces, trying to beat one another senseless… Insults laced the physical argument, venom and dirt was falling from their tongues with appalling ease for people who had once regarded each other like best friends. His eye brows furrowed. His eyes unconsciously travelled to the boy next to him with his crossed arms, an equally sympathetic look on his face like the one on the third person in their tight little group. Vegeta's eyes narrowed._

"_Let's make a promise!" he suddenly interjected with the other boys' thoughts, gathering their attention. Their eyes turned to the guy, utterly puzzled._

"_What kind of promise are we talking about?"_

"_Let's promise we'll never let girls come between us!" Determination shone in the shortest teenager's eye, but his best friends also saw something that someone else who knew him less would've never recognized. It was fear… or at least the closest thing to it that the raven-haired boy could feel. He was afraid… He was so afraid of losing his best friends, his only support, the only reason for his ego to still keep his façade up, and keep facing the day with his head held high. He didn't want their beautiful friendship to deteriorate to something… something as ugly as the display they were being witnesses to. _

"_I vow!" Goku piped in quickly, a look a childish seriousness embracing his features. A quick smirk crossed Vegeta's face before it evaporated when he glanced at his other best friend. Rain laughed softly beneath his breath. Vegeta needn't _make_ him promise—it was clear as a day! He'd never let _anything_ get in the way of their friendship, he had promised himself that, very long ago. Not his feelings, not his actions, not his words. Nothing would ever tear him apart from his prince, his model, his friend…_

"_I vow," he said soon, making Vegeta's stiffness dissolve completely. _

"_I vow too!" Vegeta exclaimed with an uncharacteristic impish grin that attempted to conceal his relief. He believed his friends' words. They had never lied to him before and he knew they certainly didn't plan on doing it any time soon!_

If they had promised each other that… why had things still gone so much downhill…?

Whose fault had it been…? Why had they become like that brawling pair in the hall, screaming and kicking each other…? Why…?

"_Vegeta, I'm so sorry! I don't know why I did this, I should've talked to you first, I—"_

"SHUT UP_!" The boy hollered, glaring at his girlfriend… his ex-girlfriend. He felt so much pain right then that he was unable to do anything else than scream at her. Scream at her for being so stupid, for being so daring, for being so ignorant of what she was causing to others by her audacious actions. Did she truly feel sorry? Why weren't her tears convincing then? Why wasn't _he_ crying? Vegeta had always thought that—if the two of them ever fell apart—he'd be heartbroken, that—regardless of how strong he made others believe he was—he'd cry like there was no tomorrow. That he'd cry for the only girl that had seen the good in him, for the only girl he would let in his heart…_

…_But his eyes were perfectly dry and his heart was utterly cold. He was heartbroken, yes… but he didn't want to cry. Her tears—they weren't reaching him. Her cries—they fell on deaf ears. He didn't want to see anymore, he didn't want to hear anymore. _

_His gaze scrutinized the other responsible for the scene, his best friend's face completely impassive._

"_Aren't you going to defend your lover, Rain? Aren't you going to _protect _her from the villain?"_

"_Defending means believing you are right, and I do not believe that." His once lively, cheerful eyes were dull with bitter emotions, each and every one of which Vegeta could easily read when their eyes met. The shorter boy flinched. "I'm going to say it, even though I know it will not fix anything. I'm going to say it because I truly mean it. There aren't words in _any _language that can express perfectly well what I'm feeling right now, inside… But … I'm sorry, Vegeta…" Rain's eye brow also twitched and his gaze averted from the other boy's. He was losing his cool… "I'm so sorry… for everything…"_

_His prince's jaw line tightened as his teeth gritted together. His fists were clenched, short nails digging in the inside of his palm, creating small crescent-like shaped lines. Despite himself, Vegeta felt his eyes well up at the sight of his two best friends of the entire world, looking like children caught doing something bad. Their promises… Their vows… His _heart_… all broken… _

"_Go to Hell, you lying bastard!" The short boy yelled atop his lungs and sidestepped the couple, running out of his apartment. He didn't want to see anyone, he didn't want to be reminded of those people—he couldn't stand looking at them making fun of him, taunting him, mocking him! He didn't want to have _anything_ to do with those liars, ever again!_

_What Vegeta hadn't seen was the solitary tear rolling down his friend's cheek and the saddened smile that graced his lips._

"Sayonara, ouji-sama…_"_

_His voice had been so quiet, so low that not even Hailie next to him had heard the foreign words leave her lover's lips and his only audience had been the eerie chilly corridor…_

The lids slid up, revealing a pair of onyx orbs struggling to focus on the ceiling above them. They had fallen apart, it was a fact. They had all broken their promises and it had exactly been girls that had come between them. Goku and ChiChi, and then Rain and Hailie… it was all so pitiable…

The boy sat up in the not-so-alien bed in which he had spent quite many nights and rubbed his forehead with his fingers. Everything had become so damn complicated… And even so, he could never forget the fight of those boys in the hall. They had beaten each other up, called each other names, but probably in the end they had still stayed friends once they had cleared out their differences…

But he and Rain had never truly fought… They had never released those pent up frustrations, the anger, the pain… They had never managed to talk about their issues… because Vegeta hadn't wanted to talk. They had never fought… because Vegeta knew he would lose. He didn't believe in himself, he hadn't believed in people in a long time. He had always cursed Rain under his breath, yelled insults at the other boy whenever they met… while his ex-best friend had never—_ever_—even in his most berserk of fits, called Vegeta anything…

The midnight eyes miraculously found their way to Bulma's bedside nightstand. He noticed a picture of the gang, all together, happy… He sighed deeply and stood up. He had been happy last night, with his woman, in her house, holding her… touching her… But something had been missing, he was still regretting…

It hadn't been his fault; he shouldn't be the one crawling back… but after being so stubborn, he guessed there was no other way to do it.

He smirked over his shoulder at the woman's smiling fact. It was human to be imperfect, to make mistakes…

…But it was divine to at least _try_ to forgive…

…And it was all because of her, all her fault for digging up his wretched soul from the ashes inside him and polishing it… polishing it so that even the tiniest tinge of something divine could have a peak at the surrounding world.

God, how could he have been so blind all this time? He smiled at the picture. This feeling… he could finally recognize it.

He closed his eyes and collapsed sideways on the soft mattress… The serene smile was still on his face as he took in her smell surrounding him.

_Thank you, Bulma…_ His eyes opened, an arrogant determination burning in them. _Thank you for everything… Now I know what to do._

He stretched his arms and back, his legs and head. After all, he could go there just like that… that is, if he wanted to win.

He smirked again. _And this time, _he thought, _now that I recharged, I'm _really_ going to win!_

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Frankly, just between us, Bulma dreaded coming back home and finding her boyfriend still asleep. Well, sure, it was good news that he was taking a rest or recovering from the last few days of no food and sleep but… this was too much! He had slept _for eighteen hours—_when she had called her mother half an hour ago he had still been asleep! She bit her lip in worry. He would wake up eventually… right?

As she climbed out of her car and circled the huge dome of her home, she almost felt her knees give away from beneath her in relief as she caught sight of her boyfriend in the backyard.

She opened her mouth to scream at him for worrying her so, or to exclaim her happiness, to get rid of the traces her worry had left but she stopped before she could do such a thing… marveling him and his moves…

It appeared to her that he was training. At least that's the only thing she could qualify it as. He was jumping around, throwing series of punches, kicks… He was doing somersaults, jump kicking the air… His movements were so fast that his hands and feet were just a blur as he moved. He was… like an illusion… So fast… so beautiful… She was mesmerized.

Suddenly, he stopped and straightened his back at her. He turned to face her over his shoulder, a smirk on his face.

"I…" she began lamely, shaking her head to clear it. She was Bulma Briefs, for goodness' sake! She had had that guy in bed so many times before! It was about time her heart stopped skipping when she looked at him! Geez… She pulled herself together. "I'm glad to see you're out of bed." She glared at him as she advanced him. "You got me worried sick about you, you damn aloof bastard! Don't do such things again, you— why are you looking like that?" He smirked while she eyed him warily.

"No reason," he retorted unconvincingly. "What's for breakfast?"

"Nothing." He glared at her. "It's lunch already, you _missed_ breakfast."

"Why do you sound so angry?" He followed her inside the house. "It's not _my _fault I fell asleep so fast yesterday!"

"You still don't understand!" She screeched slamming her wardrobe shut after throwing her bags inside it.

"Then explain to me what I don't understand!" Why was she so bent on ruining his good mood? What was wrong with her anyway?

"I was so afraid I'd lose you again, you idiot!" She whirled around and her sapphire eyes glared venomous daggers at him. "I was _worried_, okay! And here you go… going all 'what's for breakfast' on me…" She sobbed, making him blink vacuously at her again. "What's—what's wrong with me anyway? You're okay, I can see that but the tears… just won't stop… damn it… damn it, damn it…" She continued cursing under her breath while she rubbed her eyes mercilessly with her palms. Vegeta's expression softened. She was such a child sometimes…

He caught her wrists and pulled them away from her face, making her teary eyes lock with his. He smirked.

"Do I seriously look sick to you?" It took her a few seconds to pull herself together enough to answer.

"Well, if perversion and being kind of very twisted—" She laughed at his hard glare. "No, Vegeta, you don't." He kissed her mouth briefly before pulling away and letting go of her wrists.

"Then get a freaking hold of yourself, woman! I'm fine, you can ever _see_ that." He changed into one of his own t-shirts that he had gone to take from the mansion. "Now let's go eat, I'm starved."

"Oh, no, you aren't!" She pushed him to the floor, applying all of her weight (and even so she had a lot of difficulty doing it! Weird… Usually when he was caught off-guard he was easy to take down…). He growled savagely, turning around to flip them over—he wasn't comfortable with her atop of him. It… provoked feelings he preferred to leave for the night. "I promised the gang we'll be with them for lunch and _you_," she poked his chest with a filed finger, "are included in the "we". You're not eating before we go and that's my final." She stood up after that, leaving an air of finality hanging behind her.

"I promised no one such a thing!" He protested noisily, scrambling to his feet immediately after her.

"Well, too bad, because _I_ did and, since you were sleeping at that time, you didn't have a say in it." He flushed in anger.

"How dare you—"

"Are you going to hurry? We're going to be late!" Bulma threw her hairbrush on her vanity table and brushed past her boyfriend on her way downstairs to inform her mother they weren't staying for lunch. Vegeta was still in shock. Was it just him… or she was _commanding_ him? And he was even… even _considering_ the prospect of actually _obeying_ her?

His mind halted and his smile returned to his face. He saw his reflection in her mirror and sighed calmly. Can you hear it? Can you feel it…?

"Vegeta! Hurry up or we're leaving in _my_ car!"

He chuckled as he took the stairs three at a time with slight jumps. The woman surely knew how to push his buttons.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"You shouldn't have been training first thing you got up! What if you hurt yourself?" Bulma argued with her impassive boyfriend while they walked in the cozy little café where they had agreed to meet with the gang. Vegeta rolled his eyes while they sat down.

"I already told you that I had never felt better in my entire life! I'm more agile, faster and stronger."

"Yes, but—"

"We've already been through this!" He sighed in exasperation resting his back on his chair. "I'm fine, alright?"

"I think the question 'how was your day' isn't really of present interest," Juuhachi muttered while slurping her shake from her straw.

"What's up guys?" Goku grinned at his friends.

"He's slept for eighteen hours!"

"You _what_?" Goku gawked at his annoyed best friend.

"I was just _recharging_, is it _that_ hard for your puny heads to comprehend?" He snapped, trying to get his hands on a menu.

"And then—after he had just got up, nonetheless!—he went on ahead, training! I don't believe him!" Bulma slammed her fist on the table, glaring at her boyfriend who only returned the expression with a matching ferocity as she had just taken the menu from him, flipping it open angrily.

"I told you I'm fine and that I'm better than _ever_ before, damn this—"

"Whoa, really?" Goku interjected again, making the other boy shake in anger. Why was everyone ignoring what he was saying today? Was he invisible or something? The thought angered him… His periphery vision caught sight of something dark moving by the window. He blinked away his confusion as his eyes found a familiar jet black Lamborghini just like his. He smirked.

"To be honest, I have never seen Vegeta fight…" Juuhachi pouted. She had been his girlfriend, for God's sake! Bulma made a matching expression.

"I should be angry one! We've been together for half a year now and I haven't seen him either. It is something that you pride yourself with, isn't it? Why hadn't you shown us yet then? Hey, Vegeta, are you listening?" But her boyfriend wasn't listening. He was spacing out, looking out the window at some fancy car. Her eye brows narrowed. "If you plan on ignoring me today, you guessed quite wrong, mister—"

"I have to go," he said hastily while picking himself up from his seat and sauntering off towards the exit. Goku took a glance at what his friend had been looking at all that time and his eyes lit up with joy.

"Vegeta, wait for me! I want to be there when you go there!"

"Go _where_?" Juuhachi snapped, dashing off after them. ChiChi and Bulma shared a somewhat puzzled look before both their eyes narrowed.

"Hey, guys! Wait for us!"

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Bulma looked around. It wasn't exactly a place you could call cozy…

The lights were very dim, the only concentrated lighting in the center of the room where there was somewhat of a… ring? People were fighting around it and currently on it was a tall dark haired guy that she recognized well from the other day in Capsule Corporation…

"What are we doing here?" ChiChi snapped, crossing her hands. "Why are we following Vegeta anyway?"

"Wish me luck," Vegeta dropped off, planning to make his way towards the ring when Bulma caught his wrist and pulled him back. "What?" His eye brows narrowed at her. Why was she stopping him? This was his moment of personal triumph!

"I heard you have never won to him…" Her eye brows were furrowed in worry, twitching ever so slightly. "You just recovered from something quite serious… Do you really think you should strain yourself so?"

By the time the pair on the ring, the dark haired boy and his girlfriend, at whom all of Bulma's friends glared, had noticed Vegeta's presence and both seemed quite puzzled. The boy had been drying his wild shock of midnight spikes but his towel was now around his neck, his hands perfectly still. Was he dreaming? Was his mind playing tricks on him again, like so many times before…?

Vegeta grinned evilly at his girlfriend.

"Don't worry about me. This time, I'll certainly win!" He gave her his thumb up and shrugged her slackened grasp off his hand. He halted in mid-step and turned around to her again. "Oh, yeah, I forgot," he muttered carelessly. She blinked stupidly several times as he gripped her shoulders, bringing him closer to him. And, going against everything he had ever done, he kissed her in front of all their acquaintances. Everyone looked quite shocked at his audacious act… They weren't used to seeing Vegeta so much as hug her! "I'm going, and I'm winning this time for sure!" He winked impishly at her before making his way towards his ex-best friends in the center of the room.

"What the hell was that all about?" Juu cocked an eye brow, making her lavender haired friend shrug her shoulders. Whatever it was, she couldn't wait to see her lover fight—he had taken such pride in his skills before and she still hadn't seen him at it! To tell the truth, she was quite exhilarated.

"Vegeta?" Hailie blinked as her ex climbed on the ring in a swift movement. "What are you doing here…?"

"I want a fight." Rain's cold black eyes flinched slightly.

"And what are we fighting for?"

"Dignity?"

"I can always crush yours easily." The other boy smirked cruelly. "I've done it countless times before, I can do it again. What's in it for me?"

"Rain, please stop it! You're not going to fight!" Hailie protested, trying to slam her fist in his chest. However, her boyfriend easily caught it and jerked her towards the edge, almost making her lose her balance. When she glared at him, she was met by a somewhat apologetic look in his jet black orbs… She knew he had waited so much for that moment… but it shouldn't be that way!

A hand clapped her shoulder and she whirled around only to come face to face with the girl who had promised her to help her with her sickness. Bulma just nodded at her and the auburn haired female sighed deeply in defeat. Boys would be boys…

"What makes you so confident you'll win?" Vegeta asked aloofly, crossing his arms over his chest. Rain snorted arrogantly, throwing his towel to the corner.

"When have I _not_ won before?"

"The past is the past; today is the present and things change over time." The taller boy's eyes snapped wide open. Was he… saying what he thought he was…?

However, before he could react in any way, a fist slammed in his jaw, sending him to the ground with a loud thud. Everyone in the building turned to see what was going on and were instantly hooked—the two best fighters of the gym were fighting! It was something everyone wanted to see!

"Rain!" Hailie screeched, trying to climb on the ring but being held back by a just as concerned-looking Bulma. The boy, however, jumped to his feet immediately, a certain exhilaration burning in his onyx orbs.

"What would you know? The prince had actually begun getting good at this?" He ducked when Vegeta tried to punch his face again, kicking his feet and rendering him off-balance. The spiky-haired boy was quick to react, flipping backwards on his hands and jumping back up again with a complacent smirk.

"Not as confident anymore, eh, buddy?" His smirked was wiped off his face as an elbow slammed in his neck from behind. When had he—?

"Oh, not in the least, my prince!" Rain yelled in his excitement while his series of punches hit their marks all over Vegeta's fallen frame. "This will make my victory ever sweeter!"

"Too bad…" Vegeta caught both of his opponent's fist, making him flinch; "you're not winning then!" He pulled his ex-friend closer and slammed his forehead in the other's face, making him lose his concentration. Then he supported himself on his arms and both his feet slammed in Rain's gut, interfering with his breathing.

The other boy collapsed on his back in a coughing fit, spitting blood as he did. Vegeta got to his feet, looking down at his writhing opponent. However, his antagonist appeared stronger than his counterpart, shifting their positions in just a second. For the second in question, he had managed to grab hold of Vegeta's ankle and lock the guy in a hold from which there was no escape.

"How about you give up the theatro and go home already? We both know you're ten years too early to challenge_ me_, Vegeta, face it." He applied more pressure on his rival's foot, making him squirm in pain. Neither boy paid attention to his girlfriend's desperate cries for them to cut it out. Struggling, the flame-haired boy growled loudly. He wasn't going to let himself be beaten again… He was stronger now, he _felt_ it, he _knew_ it…! He wasn't going to lose, not this time!

Neither the shorter boy— nor any of his friends—could feel that Rain's hand was slowly but certainly getting burnt by the temperature of his rival's body rising… What was going on…? His aura… was somewhat stronger…! Rain gritted his teeth. He wasn't giving up! He couldn't lose…! He had _never_ lost to anyone before!

With a shriek of primordial pain, the taller male jumped to his feet, clutching his palm. Suddenly the energy had burst from his friend's body and had burnt his limb… and, frankly, it was rendered quite useless for the moment.

Before he could compose himself again, he was brought to the ground by a shower of quick fists which were only a blur to the rest of the gang. His opponent was straddling him, pinning him to the ground. He groaned. He couldn't lose, wouldn't lose…

"You should really start seeing a bit ahead of you, Rain, because things really change!" The lying boy released a strangled moan when his ex-best friend's foot pressed his right shoulder to the ground. There was a particular reason why it was so weak and both of them knew it very well. However, it was the first time that Vegeta actually used it against him… Rain smirked. His prince was finally becoming the vicious fighter that his reading all those years ago had prophesized…!

…But how far was he ready to go in order to win?

Rain's eyes were clouded by agony, his focus was appallingly lose and still, when Vegeta's foot rose again to hit him another time, he rolled to his side, kicking the flame-haired boy's support from beneath him, bringing him to the ground as well. With a raw growl, the boy threw himself on his opponent who was fast composing himself again.

For a short while, all anyone could see was a huge tangle of limbs and pair of bodies, but once the two of them jumped back to their feet, both breathing's laboured, Vegeta's torn lip and eye brow was obvious for all to see, while his antagonist seemed to have come out unscratched from the brawl. The taller guy smirked arrogantly.

"It seems not everything changes, Vegeta." He dodged a punch easily and his expression darkened. "Why are you here?" He caught the next fist thrown at him. "Why did you decide to fight, knowing you're likely to lose?" He grabbed the second fist as well, making his friend snort in irritation. "Why have you come to me?" Even if he had wanted to, Vegeta couldn't answer as his world started spinning when his opponent's forehead crashed into his nose with ferocious power.

He shook his head free of the dizziness only to have himself caught by the shoulders and slammed into an outstretched knee, knocking the wind out of him. He groaned and stumbled back only to get chased by his attacker again. However, this time he was completely ready.

He laced an arm over the raging other boy's right shoulder joint and flipped him over, hearing a satisfying crack upon the impact. The pressure he had applied to the guy's arm had been too much for the lose joint which had been broken about three or four times already—before he had never even touched it in fear of causing any permanent damage. Things seemed to have changed truly a lot in the last few months…

"Stop, please, stop!" Hailie tried to reach her boyfriend who was just about half a meter away from her fingers. Just a bit more and she'd be able to pull him off the ring, to the safety of her arms…! She covered her mouth with her hand when her lover released another choked cry of pain as Vegeta's boot pressed to his damaged joint.

"You want to know why I'm here?" The dark-haired abuser rested all of his body-weight on the lying boy.

"Please… Do enlighten me…" was the only thing the agonizing teen managed to wheeze out. However, his answer didn't seem to come as the other male seemed to be too fixated on causing the squirming opponent of his more and more pain.

"Say it!"

"No," the writhing boy said with a complacent smirk which vanished almost immediately upon Vegeta's foot slamming with as much force as he could muster over the healed wound.

"_Say it_!"

"Stop it, Vegeta, _stop it_!" Hailie wailed out, trying to climb on the ring this time for real. A recent wound on her lover's shoulder would surely reopen after so much beating!

"_SAY THE FUCKING WORD AND I'LL STOP!_" A loud crack resounded as Vegeta's lower limb kept colliding with the lying boy's body. The other just chuckled darkly, an eerie grin on his face.

"Never…"

The flame-haired male's expression flushed slightly red in anger and his head was already throbbing with the girls' screams for him to stop. Oh, he'd stop alright…

He stomped his foot hard on the ground right next to the fallen fighter. What puzzled the rest of the gang more was that all those kicks in the place where he had had his limb broken numerous times was nothing compared to the shriek he gave when Vegeta barely grazed his body.

The boy towered over the male on the ground, whose scream had reached a high-pitched sound and was now decreased to mere tearless sobbing. Vegeta knew exactly how it felt to be hit like that—people had sometimes done it without wanting to. But his full intention was to hurt the bastard. Rain had been his support through many years—he had taught him how to trust people (if even partially), how to raise money, how to face the day with his head high… and how to lose. But he had never, _ever_ let Vegeta win—at least not unintentionally. The boy snorted.

"And they say _I_'m selfish…"

Rain slowly crawled to his unsteady hands in a sitting position; his head slumped, still trying to comprehend what had happened. He could be stubborn no matter how long he wanted—it was a fact. Vegeta had won, fair and square. He smiled to his knees. His little prince… had finally grown up… and had grown out of the need for Rain's guidance…

To be honest, the elder boy had always hoped against hope that Vegeta would some day come to him again, to settle old scores, he'd lose and he'd have to come again, being the stubborn guy he was… and that this way, Rain would always be a step ahead of him… It had been a nice plan… but no longer useful. Vegeta truly no longer needed him… He had betrayed his prince's trust, he had stabbed his back mercilessly, and he hadn't tried enough to mend things… he had broken his vow… But worst of all, he had broken his heart… He could never forgive himself that; he would _never_ forgive himself…!

Suddenly a hand floated in his vision, pulling him out of his reverie. He looked up at the impassive expression of his former best friend. The question swam in his eyes.

"You're not going to stay down there all day, are you?" Vegeta urged him impatiently. The gang around the ring shared puzzled looks. Had they… missed something?

Rain took the hand and got pulled to his feet. He received a slight pat on the healthy shoulder and a smirk from his opponent.

"Let's do this more often—you've lost your touch. Living in the past… is getting us nowhere, don't you agree?"

There was a small uncomfortable pause in which the people by the pair in the centre fumbled with their fingers. Meanwhile, Rain's face had grown into a beaming grin. And before anyone could understand what the two had talked about with their eyes, the larger boy had his smaller friend in a tight quick embrace which was returned reluctantly at first. When they separated they touched the knuckles of their balled fists together, making their way to the smiling crowd now.

The two submerged in the excitement of explanations and celebrations but neither of them would ever forget their little exchange in the short moment of their reunion, whispered in such a low voice no one else but the other could possibly percept anything had been said.

"_It's been a while__…! __I really missed you around, Vegeta! I'm so glad you're back!"_

"…_Me too, my friend… me too…"_

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

All I have to say for myself is that I am back and terribly sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I hope you find it in yourself to forgive me and, just for the record, I wanted to upload this chapter yesterday, but for some unfathomable reason the damn document manager refused to take it! I just kept spitting it out when I pushed it back in! Haha_…_Yeah, anyway, this was a dull chapter because their get-together was the main event, but tune in next time for some enhanced-gang-madness! What do I mean? Well, you will have to check to find out!


	26. Ch26: Creating Precious Memories

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Chapter Twenty-Six: Creating Precious Memories_

"That was an absolutely pointless fight! You should have never engaged in it!" Hailie chided her boyfriend who waved a dismissive hand at her.

"Hailie's absolutely right, Vegeta! Look at what you two look like! People are staring at us as if—" Her voice was loud and strong but it appeared that Vegeta wasn't in the mood to be out shouted exactly at that moment.

"This is one of my most sensible fights ever. And, just in case you haven't noticed for eighteen years of your life, people _usually_ stare at you, me and Rain weirdly. It is part of being shamelessly famous across the country, you see…"

Juuhachi hid her grin behind her hand while Goku chuckled idiotically while checking the menu of the café they had gone straight to after exiting the training room. Bulma flushed a light red colour at her lover's words and the reaction they caused in their friends. Most were chuckling or giggling for the exception of Hailie and ChiChi—the raven haired girl would _never_ laugh at something "stupid" Vegeta said.

"Who the hell gave you the right to—?"

"Who the hell needs to give me right to do anything?"

"You can't just… talk to me as if I'm some meddlesome three year old that you're tired of explaining the same damn thing to over and over—"

"You're right; you're a meddlesome eighteen year old which is worse—"

"_Stop interrupting me!_" Bulma shrieked with an insane expression on her face. Vegeta laughed full-heartily.

"Payback's a bitch, isn't it? That's for yesterday."

Bulma was having trouble getting over her anger which made her whole body convulse in her urge to strangle her maddening boyfriend who grinned like an imp every time he took a glance at her flushed enraged face. While she was struggling to ask what the hell he was paying her back for, Rain's hand and laugh pulled her out of her momentary fit as his palm landed on her shoulder.

"Stop worrying yourself over us, dear, or you might not the able to put up much with us." His happy-go-lucky demeanor vanished when his girlfriend poked his side with an erect finger. The boy recoiled with the roar of a wounded animal, glaring at the girl next to his side with an outraged expression on his features.

"'Argh', now isn't it? I'll give _you_ 'Argh' when you get in such a fight next time when you're still not fully recovered." The boy put a left hand—for the sheer fact that he had slight trouble moving his right one currently—behind his head sheepishly and stuck his tongue out at her.

"Whatever you say, mother."

"Recovered? What from?" Vegeta looked up from his sandwich which had arrived no more than several seconds prior.

"Ah, it's nothing…" Rain muttered, busying himself with his own sandwich—he was starved! However, Vegeta's observant onyx orbs didn't miss the pretence nonchalant way the other youth spoke about the matter. And still, he decided not to mention it again. His best friend would tell him if it was something that was really important… or at least he so wanted to believe.

"So, how do the two of you know each other? I never knew you were acquainted." Krillin urged the eldest pair of boys on their table to share some of their adventures together.

"Who'd think that the best two skaters in town or in the whole world in general knew each other…" Juu muttered with a slightly wistful look on her sharp features, leaning on the table, resting her head on her palm.

"Actually _I_ taught Vegeta how to skate." The taller boy afforded himself the bold action of ruffling Vegeta's hair before the other teen could catch his healthy hand and decrease its health immediately as well. "Good to know that I did my job well now that he's better than me in skating."

"I'm better than you in everything," the spiky-haired boy clarified, making the other dark haired male laugh.

"Now, we'll have to ask Hailie about that, hm?" Rain gave his girlfriend a taut suggestive look. She flushed red in embarrassment at first before she elbowed him in the wounded side, making him bend over his lunch. "Okay, so maybe I deserved that…" The boy managed to wheeze out while he tried to recollect his breathing.

"So you were his teacher?" ChiChi interjected, no one on the table paying attention to the other "happy couple's" argument, much like all the other ones they seemed to have all the time… ("Don't talk with your mouth full!" "Now you're going to tell me how to eat too, are you, woman?" "I'm just telling you not to talk with your mouth full, it's impolite!" "Who cares? I'm hungry as a wolf and I could care less whether I eat _politely_—hey, give me my plate back!")

"Roughly said, yes," Rain confirmed, smirking at Goku who grinned back. "I was your boyfriend's skating teacher too, though I have to admit it was harder working with him."

"Yeah, well, he's not much of a great student, is he?" ChiChi muttered while eying warily her boyfriend who just grinned from ear to ear, putting a hand behind his neck. By the time the couple's argument was starting to reach new heights… ("If you start talking with your mouth full again, I'll—" "What, what _will_ you? You can do _nothing_ to me, now _hand it over, I'm dying here!_" "Yeah, as if we'd get such luck…" "Oh, shut up and just give me the damned plate before you really start pissing me off!" "I still haven't? Then I'll need to keep it for a bit more, I guess…" "Bulma……")

"How did you three get to know each other then? Fate?" Juuhachigou laughed at her suggestion. She didn't believe in that kind of thing such as fate… The idea that someone had her life already planned for her didn't sit well with her…

"Actually we went to the same middle school, and then Kakarot moved out during high school, but we were still in the same skating band together."

"Why do both of you call Goku Kakarot? Is it some kind of nickname between the three of you or something?" ChiChi's eye brows narrowed. She liked her boyfriend's name—why did both Vegeta and his friend have to call Goku that weird nickname? How did they come up with it anyway? It sounded very strange… almost alien.

Rain laughed uncomfortably.

"Yeah, nickname, that sounds rather acceptable…"

The argument was no longer ignorable, neither by the teens nor the café's owners.

"_Hey_, that was _mine_!" Bulma objected rather loudly as the sandwich from her plate disappeared in the depths Vegeta's mouth. He swallowed it fast, gulped down the contents of his glass and exhaled contently.

"Not anymore. That's what you get for toying with Vegeta Ouji."

"The one and only," Rain interjected with a wide smirk, making his friend grin and give him the thumbs up.

"Why I ought to—hey!" Bulma had been about to strike her boyfriend's shoulder with her tiny balled fist when he jumped up and out of his seat, dashing for the doors of the café with a devilish look on his features while he yelled to them,

"Later, suckers!"

In the exhilaration of the reunion no one had noticed it… But he felt it… He could easily feel it now…

"Oh, no, you don't!" Bulma growled out as she scrambled out of her seat as well, running after him out of the café, leaving the others baffled in their seat.

There was nothing missing now… He finally felt content… And he felt it, so obvious now…

"Such infantile behaviour…" ChiChi shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest.

"It looks fun," Goku said with a grin on his features. However, ChiChi's intense glare strangled any thought of going after them to participate in the 'fun activity'. Rain laughed lightly and rested his back against his chair looking fondly at his girlfriend's face while she was observing the pair outside chasing each other around like little children with one fine eyebrow slightly raised.

It was clearly perceptive now, the feeling of happiness lingering in the air…

"_Vegeta! Get back here!_" Bulma's shriek resounded outside while she chased her boyfriend behind a tree, the two of them circling around it in their little game.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The weeks passed and soon the gang was growing used to Rain and Hailie's presence in their tight little friendly circle. The girls had to try and forget their little grudge against the other girl but it was quite easy once they were all in her good books as well—it was amazing how much a person changed when they didn't think you to be a mortal enemy…

Rain was also a character quite easy to grow used to and fond of. His laugh was very contagious and his smirk could probably only be rivaled by Vegeta's. The two had once become next to inseparable, what with Vegeta spending most of his time with his girlfriend, the two of them spending the nights either in Bulma's room at Capsule Corp. or in Vegeta's in his mansion. Krillin had finally found the guts to ask Juuhachigou out on the other hand, and the two were now an item as well—which made their clique all paired up, and quite well at that.

However, things started to change slightly in April…

"What do you mean, 'it's just the way it is'?" Vegeta's usually stern but leveled voice boomed in the school cafeteria to greet his girlfriend and her best friend.

"What the hell is he screaming like a maniac for…?" ChiChi's eye brows narrowed as they approached the pair friends on a table in the middle of the canteen. Vegeta's fist was slammed on the thick wooden table and it could have just been Bulma… but she could almost _swear_ she could see a net-like crack snaking its way down the wooden support of the table.

Goku pulled his hands up in defense with a dense grin on his features.

"Come on, Vegeta—it's no big deal…" he trailed off while his best friend's fist slammed over the table again, scaring some girls sitting nearby.

"Don't you try to feed me that bullshit, you moron! I refuse to let that wench contaminate _my_ home!" Goku's eyes narrowed seriously at that.

"I know you don't like her much, Vegeta, but I will not allow you to call or treat my girlfriend that way," the taller boy explained, making his childhood buddy snort angrily while their girlfriends and the rest of their clique joined them.

"What's going on here, what's all this commotion about? We heard you screaming like a banshee from the lunch line." Juu motioned over her shoulder to the lunch line that went all the way to the other end of the premise. Vegeta's enraged onyx orbs pinned to her form, making her flinch slightly at the intensity of the boy's displeasure.

"I see that you told him about that brilliant 'plan' of yours then…" ChiChi muttered in a bored voice as she took a bite from her home-managed sandwich—she had got up late today and hadn't managed anything more.

"What plan are we talking about here?" Bulma asked in nonplus, fishing for a spare quarter in her pocket for a soda.

"There is absolutely _no_ way that I will live in the same building as _her_!" And at that, Vegeta pointed impolitely an accusing finger at ChiChi, who only rolled her eyes at the gesture.

"Don't worry, dwarf, I'm not much thrilled at the idea either, so there's no need to make a matter of it." She rolled her jet black eyes, making the boy's turn to slits of malice.

"Just _how_ did you just call me?" he asked in a very threatening manner, his body starting to exude a strange dark aura that seemed to make the air too choking to breathe.

"Now, now, Vegeta, just calm down!" Rain interjected when he was sure that things were going to become ugly very soon. "I'm sure we can solve this one out peacefully."

"I will _never_ do anything _peacefully_ with _her_!" shouted the flame-haired boy enraged, his eyes glaring daggers at ChiChi's back.

Just as the argument was beginning to become more and more violent, with the two of them exchanging ruder and ruder names between each other, Bulma rejoined the group, sipping from her can of soda nonchalantly.

"If you're so pissed with living in the same building like ChiChi, why don't you move in with me?" said Bulma, gathering everyone's attention, including all the people around who didn't really know the gang. The confusion in her lover's eyes urged her to repeat. "Well, yeah, I don't see anything wrong with that. My mother is all over you, my father adores the idea of having you around and helping him out with work as I prove to be quite a dysfunctional assistant nowadays with all the studying for my exams that I do—" here Vegeta snorted but she paid no attention to him, "—and we have a nice suite in the compound that can well fit the both of us in it. What do you say?"

She stared expectantly at him as if it was the easiest decision to make. However, to all their surprise, people who thought that Vegeta was a commitment freak, smirked evilly and nodded.

"Sure, sounds good." And, while his friends started commenting on it, Rain leaned over to his ear and asked what the big idea was and received the following response, "If you had such a spitfire, in more than one meaning, for a girlfriend, you would too want to live in the same room and sleep in the same bed as her."

"I heard that the weather on our last day in school will be Hell of a shitty one." Krillin commented while he sipped from his drink.

"Why, is it going to rain all day?" Goku blinked dumbly.

"Heck, no! It's going to be so hot our blood would literally boil in our veins!" Krillin freaked out, making his friends cock an eyebrow at his reaction.

"I think Krillin has finally lost it, Juu. You need to keep a better watch over him," said ChiChi with a bored look on her face while she sipped her newly arrived drink.

"Don't say it as if I'm his babysitter or something, Chi!" said the blonde with a reproachful glare at her darker haired friend, who only waved her hand dismissively with a slightly apologetic look.

"If it's going to be as hot as the forecasts say then," Bulma began while she sat herself next to her just calmed down lover, leaning on his arm which was draped over the back of the bench, "we should probably celebrate the end of school year earlier. This weekend or something of the sort, because I don't much fancy sunburn, thank you very much."

She didn't miss the teasing remark of her boyfriend either—"Aren't _you_ special?"—but chose not to start on it as she was too busy being happy about how easily she had persuaded him into moving in to live with her to ruin her good mood.

"Ditto that—I burn so easily it's not even funny!" Juu said while playing with the straw of her milk shake.

"And what do you guys suggest? Staying at home, hoping we don't die from the heat?" Rain laughed at the mere mental image of it. It was ridiculous how they, the most famous teenagers over the world currently, couldn't even figure out where to be as not to get a heat stroke.

"I'd love the comfort of my air-conditioned apartment…" Hailie muttered while stifling a nasty cough.

"I have a better suggestion for you." The rest of the gang pinned their eyes expectantly at Juuhachigou while their auburn-haired friend fought a mini seizure. "What do you guys say we go to my villa again? During the summer it's nice and shadowy there, what with all the trees growing around it. I'll have my people arrange something of a feast for dinner so we can have a nice little rest and a bit of time together before the graduation. What do you say to that?"

"I think it's a wonderful idea!" Goku grinned from ear to ear at the thought of it—a night in the wilderness! It was a dream come true for the spiky-haired boy.

"I think we're all in." Krillin smiled at his blonde counterpart and she nodded approvingly.

"It's settled then!"

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

As promised, that weekend the heavy wooden door of Juu's villa opened to a small group of teenagers, carrying small bags with clothes and personal belongings. A pair of servants attended to their luggage and carried it off in direction of the bedroom chambers, or at least that was what Bulma assumed they were doing.

"Whoa, I feel like royalty!" Rain laughed when a kind-looking maid took the bag he had been carrying and he finally had the time to look around to get his bearings. "I have to admit, Juuhachi, you've got one hell of a place here."

"And it's nice and cool too," the Capsule Corporation heiress pointed out as she threw her handbag on a shelf by the entrance.

"Is it just me, or are we really getting better service than last time?" Goku laughed while he was being released from the weight of his own luggage.

"Last time these people had just gone on vacation. I didn't have the heart to call them back here just because of a whim."

"You actually _have_ a heart?" Vegeta mocked with a taut surprised look, making Bulma slap his chest for the remark.

"That one coming from you doesn't even nearly qualify as an offensive remark, Ouji." Juuhachi glared him down, making the flame-haired boy smirk smugly.

"Are we on last name terms already? You're losing your touch, Jinzoningen." He laughed in the way only he could but didn't miss the venomous stare of his girlfriend. He returned it with equal intensity. "And just what is wrong with _you_ now?"

"Nothing!" Bulma snapped a bit too soon to be convincing and turned on her heel, letting Vegeta have a good view of her retreating back. However, before she could make a hasty exit under a lame excuse, he cornered her.

"I can tell you're just bursting to tell me," he said self-satisfied with the dark look those sapphire orbs were honoring him with. "So why don't you just tell me?"

"You think you're so smart, don't you?"

"If I wasn't, you wouldn't be here, now, with me." He smirked proudly, making her lose her concentration on the task at hand for a mere moment. "Are you actually jealous?" he realized with genuine amusement in his voice, which irritated her to no end.

"Of course I'm not, why should I be?" she snapped, again, a bit too hasty to make him believe it. She pouted childishly and crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "Well… maybe I am… just a little…" She watched from the corner of her eye how his face turned from the disbelieving look to a wider and wider smirk which she was just _dying_ to slap off that face of his… so handsome though it was…

"As much as I would like to have you make that kind of expression again," he began in a low voice so his words would go unheard by unwanted eavesdroppers while his arms snaked around her shoulders and draped over her form from behind, so he had her flushed up against his chest, "there's absolutely no reason for you to be jealous of Blondie here…" He then nuzzled on her neck to prove his point.

"But, you were an item before and…"

"And you don't trust me?" he supplied helpfully.

"No! No! Of course not, of course I trust you! I just… It's a characteristic of my star sign even… I can't help myself…" It was starting to get harder to put the words together, what with the heat and her boyfriend in such a close proximity to her…

"Well, that's good, because I can't help myself either right now…"

Before he could proceed with his spell over her any further, Juuhachi raised her voice a bit so even they could hear her.

"I think that now is as fine time as any to tell you that as long as you're under my roof, there will be no fondling or any sexual activities. I trust that you can keep your hands off of each other for a couple of days, right?" She glared at Vegeta over her shoulder, making him groan loudly.

"Just because she isn't getting any it doesn't give her the right to restrict us—"

"Watch it, Vegeta!" Krillin said sharply, making the taller teen look weirdly down at the other boy.

"Did you just hear him—?"

"He's right Vegeta—you should really can it." Bulma said with a cold stare, making him sigh audibly while muttering incoherently something about stupid hosts and cranky people…

"So what's the plan for now?" ChiChi interjected before she had to deal with any more of Vegeta's snide remarks that she so adored.

"Well, you have some free time until dinner. We're having barbeque which Krillin and I will get ready and until then you can do whatever you wish… however I strongly recommend fetching some sleep so you don't feel moody tonight because I don't plan on letting you guys go to bed before four a.m."

Nodding their understanding, Bulma and Vegeta went towards their own room while the others did so as well, leaving their hostess and her boyfriend take care of things since they refused to have any help.

"Where are you going?" Bulma asked with unveiled interest. "Aren't you going to fetch some sleep?"

"I'd rather die than follow any of that wench's advices. Besides, a walk would be far more refreshing to me than sleeping in this hell heat." He proceeded towards the door but stopped on the threshold, looking at his lover still sitting on their comfortable double bed, looking perplexed and thoughtful. He sighed in irritation. "Do I _always_ have to specially invite you so you get the point? Are you coming with me or not?"

She was like an open book to him now, she knew. Her heart leapt and she jumped up and after him sooner than one would expect. He shook his head and hid a small smile from her. She was such a child sometimes…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Are you sure you can find the way back to the house from here?" the girl asked for the umpteenth time for the last hour, walking stiffly in her boyfriend's wake, looking around at all the trees, grasses and flowers that grew in the area as they passed. It had been quite a long time since she had last done something like this—just enjoying a walk in the wilderness of an untouched forest… Vegeta had been right—it was truly refreshing.

"Will you _stop_ doing that? It didn't bother me all that much the last few thousand of times but now it's seriously beginning to waltz on my nerves…"

Bulma grinned impishly behind his back, engaging in trying to piss him off by repeating the same thing over and over again, pausing for only about ten seconds before repeating the phrase again. Releasing a primordial growl, the boy turned around and started to chase her with feigned malice as she ran, squealing and laughing like a little girl.

They ran around for a bit, enjoying themselves for the time being before, suddenly, Vegeta lost sight of her.

"Woman, I think you should know that trying to be funny is really not the type of thing that suits you," he said loudly enough so she could hear him if she was still in the vicinity. The weird thing was that no one answered him. Something crept in his chest, an odd, unknown, feeling but he ignored it as he looked around some more for her.

Before he could say anything more though, his sensitive ears picked up the low moan of pain that came from behind a giant tree. Feeling the odd thing in his chest convulse and grow quickly, he ran towards the tree only to look down at a clearing that was anything but in the ordinary. Tree trunks were broken, grass was burnt and there, in the midst of the debris, lay his girlfriend, writhing in agony as she tried to push herself away from the tree which her back had hit when she had fallen.

"Bulma, are you alright?" he yelled from the top, panic creeping slowly in his voice.

The heiress, whose eyes had watered from the lack of oxygen after having the wind knocked out from her earlier, looked up at her boyfriend and felt her pain ease at once, if even for just a second, as she caught the expression of his face at that instant. If only for a split second, Vegeta, the callous beast—as ChiChi often claimed even though Bulma disapproved of such statements greatly—looked like a little boy who was about to cry. However, he quickly composed himself again, jumping down—rather impressively as it was a long way down—right in front of her, trying to lift her from the tree trunk she was leaning on.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, don't—oh my God, _stop_ pulling or I'll die!" She tried to shrug him off unsuccessfully but he did as she wished. He inspected her leg and found it to be nearly-impaled on a broken large branch. "What are you doing? That looks painful… no, don't…" she muttered helplessly as she watched her boyfriend reach for the branch which held her tight to the tree.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm freeing you."

It took most of his resolve to ignore the girl's scream as he slid out the now bloody branch from her leg. Sucking on a breath, she sat oddly down while he inspected the damage.

He could feel it now, clearly… The iron grip on his heart that was tightening and tightening, making him feel claustrophobic in his chest, in his skin. His soul wanted to escape because he felt so helpless as he watched his closest one spill her precious blood… He knew then what that feeling was, he recognized it for the first time in a while…

It was panic. He was beyond worried, having no clue how to tend to her injuries without having anything useful at hand.

"I'm really such an idiot… Who else would fall off from there anyway?" she chided herself but her lover did not lift his eyes from the wound. It was deep… and she was losing a lot of blood… He had to do something, and fast, before she fainted! "Vegeta…"

"Shut up, woman, I'm trying to think," he cut across her as he tore his shirt, making an improvised tourniquet for the moment and tying it tightly around her leg. "This should keep you from losing any more blood. Come on," said he, trying to pull her up into his arms, fully intending on carrying her, but she turned away. "What?" he snapped. "I'm really not in the mood to argue with you right now!"

"I can stand on my own, father!" she snapped just as seriously back, struggling to her feet but when she couldn't make one steady step, Vegeta collected her, ignoring her rants, in his embrace. "No, Vegeta, let go, let go!" she screamed and finally, she managed to kick free from him and fall to the ground, taking him down with her.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself staring at a pair of deadly serious onyx orbs, not a hint of amusement in the endless depths…

"Bulma," he began lowly and slowly, so she could understand each and every word he said, "people _die_ from blood loss, in case you haven't heard. Stop trying to play hard ball with me and let me get you to Juuhachigou's place before it's too late. This thing," he mentioned to his t-shirt tied around her leg, "won't hold for long and by the time you manage to limp on your own to the villa, you'll be unable to even _think_ of moving a finger. Now stop resisting…"

"At least let me climb on your back… It's too embarrassing…" He grimaced at her words. She actually had the time to think how _embarrassed_ she felt when she would soon lack the blood to blush from it? He couldn't believe her! Yet he knew perfectly well that until he concurred she wouldn't let him go on, so he did.

Soon, Bulma's hands were enveloping Vegeta's wide shoulders from behind while he held her by the knees at either side of him. He took long, quick strides toward the villa, without missing the wet warm feeling of the blood which was smearing on his hand. Bulma let herself finally relax a bit, realizing for the first time in a few minutes just how tired she actually felt. Her lids felt heavy and she couldn't keep them open. Her whole body was turning cold despite the hellish heat and she nuzzled closer to Vegeta in a futile attempt to warm herself.

Just as she was really losing it, something hard scratched her arm. She groaned beneath her breath and lazily opened an eye to see what dared to disturb her peace. Then, she saw it… The silver dragon chain that she had given Vegeta for his birthday all those months ago, holding secure to his neck, clinking slightly with each step he took if you only listened to it. She noticed another thing as well—the troubled and concentrated profile of her boyfriend as he kept walking straight forward with a determination to envy. Smiling tranquilly to herself, she rested her head on the crook of his neck.

"Vegeta…" she wheezed out in a shaky voice.

"Don't talk," he retorted defensively.

"Vegeta…" she continued, not listening to a word he said. "I'm… I'm really sorry…" she was having a hard time articulating the words as the lassitude conquered over all her senses. "I'm really sorry for… worrying you like this…"

"Who'd worry about such an idiotic woman such as yourself?" He retorted in his usual manner yet received no answer as Bulma had already lost her grip on her consciousness.

Making his grip on her legs a little firmer and reclining forward so she wouldn't fall as he walked, he fastened his pace…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"So she just _fell_? Just like _that_? On her _own_?" ChiChi inquired annoyingly while she tended to the heiress' wound gently, dabbing the cotton in the antiseptic. Vegeta growled loudly, glaring venomous daggers at the brunette.

"If you are trying to make me say that I _pushed_ her in, you're in for a big surprise, harpy," he hissed out between his gritted teeth. Before things could proceed from there on, though, Goku waltzed in between the two of them, lifting a pacifist hand in front of both their faces.

"Now, now, let's stop fighting and think more about Bulma; what do you say, guys?" Both his friends huffed and turned their heads away from each other, not bearing the sight of the other any longer.

"So, you say there was some sort of a pit full of broken trees, some of which were burnt down?" Juuhachigou asked doubtfully, a thoughtful frown on her graceful features.

"Are you saying I'm making it up too?" he growled out at her as well.

"Cool off, Vegeta, I'm just saying that it's weird. I have been coming here for the last ten or so years and I have explored every inch of this forest and still, it's the first time I hear of something like that…"

"It looked like something had actually… _crashed_ there, or something…" Vegeta muttered to himself and no one noticed the shock written in Rain's eyes when he heard that.

'No, it couldn't possibly be… After so many years…' he thought to himself as he observed his friends interrogating his flame-haired buddy. 'I'll go check the sight out myself later, just to prove that it's not _that_…'

While the others were too busy trying to find out what it could've been that had caused the destruction of so many trees in such an odd manner, light lashes fluttered to life, unraveling a pair of cobalt eyes to the world.

"Bulma! You're awake!" ChiChi exclaimed happily, putting the things in her hands on the side, busying herself with hugging her stressed friend in the meanwhile.

"Sorry for worrying you, Chi… Was I out for long? Did I miss dinner?" she attempted a joke but all she got was a motherly glare from her friend.

"Instead of apologizing, why don't you try not to get yourself into these situations next time? I'm beginning to get sick and tired of tending to your wounds, you know!" The darker haired girl crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, turning her head to the side, conveying her refusal to look at her best friend.

"I know, I know, I'm really, really, _really_ sorry, ChiChi—I did try to be careful but who'd expect there would be a cliff right behind a huge tree like that one." She laughed carelessly after saying that, obviously oblivious to the gravity of the situation. All her brunette friend could do was to stare incredulously at her, as if she had grown a spare head above her old one… The girl wasn't for real…

"It looks you're healthy enough if you've got enough spunk to talk like that." Rain said cheerfully, patting the girl's shoulder as she climbed to the edge of the bed. She grinned at him.

"It takes more than a silly little fall like that to take down Bulma Briefs!" The dark haired boy laughed whole-heartedly.

"I knew it!"

Meanwhile, Bulma didn't miss Vegeta shaking his head and mumbling things about calling something as serious a 'silly little fall' and idiotic women with no self-preservation instincts.

"Now that you're all better how about we all go downstairs for some barbeque? There's nothing better for a sick person than a pile of wieners and a juicy steak!" Krillin suggested, receiving a pleasing reaction from the gang.

Having taken up her position as guardian angel for Bulma, ChiChi helped her friend down the steps, droning on and on about how irresponsible one could get as well as insensitive to other people's worries. The heiress only smiled kindly at her old fellow, knowing that it was her way of releasing the tension she had certainly previously felt. Anyway, it was definitely better than crying.

It didn't pass unnoticed by her how her boyfriend also slackened his step, falling behind enough to be just a few steps ahead of the pair of them. Looking at his stern profile, the lavender-haired girl thought that an apology was in order there as well…

"Vegeta…" she probed, trying to gather his attention. "I'm really sorry for making you carry me all the way from there… I must've been really heavy…"

"If you have enough energy to be so sorry, concentrate it on trying not to repeat that kind of stunt ever again… understood?" he looked indifferently at her for a second. However, she saw that same look in his eyes… the look that she had never before seen him carry in his dark onyx eyes… and she nodded. She would look to it that such a thing never happened again…

…For she would only make her hate herself if she made such a proud person like Vegeta have such a worry-worn look in his eyes…

A second had passed and the boy's demeanor had already changed drastically. He sniffed the air curiously and licked his lips savagely, much like all his fellow males.

"Smells nice," he stated. "Carrying your fat ass around sure made me hungry!" he told her with a smug smirk, making her curse after him as he made a quick escape for the dining room.

Yes… It was quite a day today…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"…And he said, looking like he was in complete stupor, "You're who my brother lost to? I… Gee, I didn't know, I… please excuse my little brother's behaviour, he didn't mean any of it!" and they all just ran off, as if chased by the devil!" Rain finished his story, making all his new friends laugh at the mental image.

"I get that kind of reaction all the time. With us girls it's a bit different though. When you're good-looking, they expect you to be absolutely dense! I have to admit, it offends me quite a bit when someone judges me just by my appearance," Bulma continued, sipping from her bottle of beer carelessly, the pain in her wounded leg long forgotten.

Her gang had gathered around in the sitting room, watching movies at first, but then they had given it up, seeing as they were far too excited from the day to just sit quietly and watch something. Now, they were on a stage where they talked about all sorts of things, just trying to get to know each other better… become a closer community…

"I know what you mean. I hate it when people go on and underestimate me just because I'm blonde! It pisses me off so much…!" Juuhachigou cursed beneath her breath while taking a large swig of her beer.

"People go on and believe the stupidest of rumors. I hate that about my old school, because it was a small one and all that the girls there thrived on were gossips and rumors. They were pitiful people with no personal lives who liked to spread idiotic things about others, just for the kick of it!" Hailie added.

"Yeah, Hailie's right. I remember the time when ChiChi and I first started dating. I heard things about me that I hadn't known before that! Some of them were really amusing. Someone had actually gone through the hassle of saying that ChiChi and I were already engaged to be married and that our parents had arranged it when we were little, since there was no other way ChiChi would like someone like me." He laughed heartily at that, and ChiChi merely giggled at the reminiscence.

"Talking about ridiculous rumors, I once heard people talking behind my back that I was snappy and moody because I was unsatisfied, you see… the next second, another group passed by me and I heard something about me having slept with all the girls in school. I wonder how those two statements could be true at the same time."

"I have no idea why people would go through so much trouble just to make fun of you people." Krillin said while toying with his own beer bottle.

"Well, they have no personal lives whatsoever as we already mentioned and it probably makes them happy, thinking they can actually make us pay attention to them if they spill all that shit about us behind our backs, just in order to have a tiny taste of the 'glory' of being famous." ChiChi rolled her eyes after she said it, remembering all the low-lives she had had to deal with her entire life, what with her being the girlfriend of one of the most famous skaters of all…

"It's really sad that such people exist…" Hailie muttered while she fingered the can of soda she had in her possession. After all, mixing beer with her pills was an absolute no-no.

"I can recall one time when some girl tried to turn the whole class against me and ChiChi in middle school." Bulma laughed cruelly. "It was truly pitiful how she tried to worm herself into our lives and separate us. She got what she deserved though. The class finally understood what she was trying to do and apologized a million times afterwards. They treated her so badly she was forced to leave the school because of the embarrassment."

"I still feel a bit bad for the way they treated her though, even if I know she deserved it…" ChiChi said.

"Well, don't. You reap what you sow, as you very well know. She learned that the hard way." Hailie explained.

"Anyway, dropping the subject of fame and glory, I think that it's really nice we all came to live in peace with each other." Bulma smiled lazily.

"We don't know each other very well and we're already going to go our separate ways… It's a bit sad…" Krillin muttered to himself.

"We live in a modern world, Krillin. There are very few things you _can't_ do over internet and e-mail." Juuhachigou laughed.

"I hope that we keep in touch over the years, so one day we can all meet again and see how much we have accomplished in our lives!" Goku grinned idiotically in the way that only he could.

"Cheers to the brighter future of our clique!" Vegeta raised his can, his eyes swimming from the alcohol.

"Cheers!" everyone echoed his toast and took large gulps of their drinks.

"I don't know about you guys, but this beer is seriously starting to get to my head…" Bulma hiccupped and grinned stupidly as her lids desperately tried to close over her eyes.

"I know what I promised but I don't think I can keep my own promise either…" Juuhachigou muttered as she lay her head on the settee that she had settled herself in.

"I suggest we all go to bed now before we pass out here and wake up with cranked necks tomorrow morning…" Krillin mumbled, already half-asleep.

"That's the best idea I have heard for the day…" Vegeta admitted, picking himself up with surprising ease.

"Guys… I'm really glad we all came here together… Now I know there are people out there who understand me…" Bulma confessed in a croaked voice while her boyfriend picked her up in his warm embrace.

"I think we really did make some pretty nice memories together, didn't we?" Rain asked rhetorically, mimicking the almost same actions as Vegeta, as Hailie was already fast asleep.

"We should repeat this some time during the summer again, huh? But next time we can go at my grandfather's place—it's a small island in the middle of the ocean. It's really nice and refreshing for a vacation!" Krillin suggested helpfully, trying to collect his bearings and stop his world from spinning as he picked himself off the floor.

"Don't listen to him; he's trying to lure you in certain death! His grandfather is a real skirt-chaser and the most perverted human being to be born!" Juuhachigou warned teasingly, earning a wounded puppy-like groan from her boyfriend. "Don't act as if it's not true!"

"You could've said it in a kinder way, you know…!" the short boy protested.

The gang laughed lightly before all of them bidding the others good night and going to their respective bedrooms.

Setting his girlfriend gingerly down on the bed, Vegeta undressed himself and—seeing as she was having trouble with her own clothes—helped his girlfriend with ridding herself of her own attire.

"Vegeta…?" she rasped out breathlessly, the weight of the day's events finally falling onto her full force.

"Mmm?" he moaned from his pillow, indicating that he was listening while he felt his aching back ease with every second it spend on the cozy bed.

"For earlier today…"

"If you apologize to me one more time, I'm going to strangle you with whatever power I have left…" he muttered angrily from the bed.

"Thank you… for worrying over me and for taking care of me. I don't know what I will do without you…" Suddenly, he felt wide awake. He supported himself on his elbows and stared into her eyes, or at least at her closed lids and her distant smile.

He gazed for a prolonged and meaningful moment at her almost-asleep features… at her peaceful face and her reassuring smile… She could be such an idiot, making him worry over her—much as he hated to admit it, though, that he had been worried. She could also be such a cheerful girl, bringing people together, creating and solidifying bonds between people so different in their nature. She was such an understanding person, always forgiving him, even if he did not deserve her forgiveness when he snapped needlessly at her. She was such a wonderful and incredible person, soothing the raging of his restless spirit… bringing it under control after almost two decades of torment and sadness. For the first time in so long, he finally felt complete, he was finally _alive_…!

…And he owed it all to this little female, lying on her back in the soft bed, sleeping peacefully right next to him… She knew so much about him and still claimed she cared for him. She knew so much about him and still wanted to stay with him, no matter what…

He would never admit it, if even only to himself, but it was a fact… He felt it pulsing inside of him, sending wave upon wave of tranquility, supplying a sort of security to his restless mind… finally calming it, letting it rest at peace…

He knew then and there, that he had fallen under a spell that he had called his entire life an ultimate evil and weakness of the highest instance. He was terribly vulnerable to everything she did to him… He was at her mercy.

He felt weak and powerless when he thought of it that way, yet when he was around her, he felt stronger than anyone in the world. Because, even if everyone on that Earth turned against them, he was still ready to fight for their peace together, for the only person who cared for him so deeply… and for whom he cared equally back…

What would she do without him? What would _he_ do without her? It didn't matter; he didn't want, nor need, to know…

"You don't need to wonder that," he said merely above a whisper, "because now that I have you here, I am not letting you go…"

"That's good…" Her throaty voice took him slightly aback because he had been certain she was asleep already. "Because I wasn't planning on letting go either…"

"Let's make even more wonderful memories together, Bulma…"

"Mmmm…" she agreed lightly before slipping in dream land.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

After leaving his sleeping girlfriend on their bed, Rain slipped out of the villa house as quietly as possible. However, once he was outside, he broke into a quick jog, his heart pounding anxiously. He searched the area around before he finally found it…

Vegeta had been right, although he probably never thought of it in the right way. Something _did_ crash there… And Rain prayed, to whichever God cared enough to listen, that whatever had crashed there was long dead now…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

_AN: Okay, so I have no satisfying excuse for you for taking so long. All I can say is that I haven't spell checked the chapter for any typing mistakes I might have made and that I can finally kick back and enjoy writing for the rest of the summer vacation. _

_**There is only one chapter left to this story,** in case you wish to know :) It is going to be the epilogue. I was thinking of writing it here but figured the chapter has become enormous enough and I decided that an epilogue should be an epilogue, so, yeah… I hope you don't all hate me and I'll finish this, as I have promised! If you wish for me to write soon, please review—reviews are a great boost when it comes to update frequency and now that there are no other obstacles, you can be sure I'll update soon! _

_Love you all that still read this and yours sincerely,_

_Dark Hope Assassin. _


	27. Ch27: Even If Our Paths Should Separate

**Winning the Love of the Handsome Skater**

_Epilogue: Even If Our Paths Should Separate…_

The next day everyone did pretty much nothing other than lying around the house with a cocktail in hand at all times, talking, laughing, bonding. It was their last weekend together before exams began and they were inclined to get to know each other better before setting off on the respectful paths they had chosen. After all, high school relationships were some of the most durable there were—that was a plain fact.

"Being with you guys here is very fun, I admit," Bulma laughed lightly when saying that, making the clique chuckle as well, while she climbed off of Vegeta's back on which she had been leaning on the entire time, "but I have a bit of work to do back at my place and I'll be leaving some time soon." Groans were heard from the group while Vegeta's cell phone rang.

"Oh, B, postpone it a bit, won't you? It's our last meeting here as high school students!" Krillin whined, making the lavender haired girl shake her head in disagreement.

"I want to stay too, Krill, but my father really needs me. Besides, I have my valedictorian speech to take care of as well." She winked at her friends who all muttered a playful 'get out of here' or 'stop showing off'. She laughed and got up. "Seriously, you guys, I gotta go."

"Well, there's no one to give you a ride there. How are you going to go back—on foot?" pointed out Rain helpfully, making her frown at him. He was right—there was no one to give her a ride and going back home on foot was out of the question. She had never been the tourist type to begin with and she was no good with long-distances.

"Looks like you'll have to stay anyway!" Hailie giggled, raising her glass in a toast. "To Bulma's staying!"

In that moment, as if on cue, Vegeta pulled the phone away from his ear with a curt good-bye to the person on the other end of the line and got up from his place on the floor. The group watched him curiously as he instructed a butler to do something. Nodding and taking off to do as he was told, Vegeta watched the man retreat to his and Bulma's room.

"You should be happy you had the pleasure of basking in my greatness for this long, losers." He smirked arrogantly at them. "But I have other people who are in a greater need for my presence and I plan on leaving right away."

"That's great—you can give me a lift home!" Bulma perked up at the thought and the rest groaned.

"How much I hate busy people…" muttered Goku darkly, making Rain laugh.

"Chill out, man—it's no big deal. It's not as if we're saying good-bye, is it?" he said while patting his weird-haired friend's back. Goku pouted childishly but decided to drop the issue anyway.

"We'll see you guys at exams tomorrow. See ya!" exclaimed Bulma as she and Vegeta started off towards Vegeta's car.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"So," began Bulma once they were in the car and she was strapping herself in the front seat, "what is this overly important business that you need to cut across your little vacation for, mister All-Important?" She smiled teasingly at her boyfriend who just threw her a meaningful glare while buckling his seat-belt as well.

"It doesn't concern you—and even if it did, I wouldn't tell you." She pouted at his retort, making him smirk. "You'll see soon enough."

"Sheesh…" she muttered angrily to herself while crossing her hands over her chest. "One can't get a straight-forward answer around here anymore." The remark made her lover release an impish chuckle. There was no way he was telling her the big surprise that his group was going to make for the graduation ceremony—he wanted to see the look on her face when it happened…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The same day, Bulma didn't see much of her boyfriend after he dropped her off at Capsule Corporation compound. He had muttered a hasty good-bye before speeding off in an entirely different direction than his home. She had just blinked in surprise at that but, shrugging her shoulders, had decided to let him be for now. Besides, she could always hope that he would come back to her place that night like he had promised to move in with her.

However, as the hours continued to pass and no Vegeta was in sight, she figured that maybe it was a bit hasty for him, this kind of a serious move. True, they had been really close to begin with, she felt at ease around him and she was sure he felt the same towards her. But still… maybe it was a bit early… They were still just high school students after all. But… she had been so happy when he had obliged with her invite…

Deciding that sulking would do her no good at all, she figured making herself a bit useful around the house would be a good start to take her mind off certain matters. Her mother had been surprised to see her do chores but hadn't asked anything. Instead she had taken to complimenting her even though the lavender haired teen was sure that she was doing dreadfully at cooking…

Suddenly, while Bulma had been busy polishing spoons and forks, there was a curt knock on the door. Poking her head from the kitchen to have a decent view of the front door, she yelled a loud 'come in', wondering if her mother was so quickly back from the super market. She had no idea why the woman liked so much to do her chores herself when she had fully capable robots and even housemaids that could do them for her. Then again, if she had absolutely nothing to do the whole day herself, she'd probably too begin cleaning around the house… like she was doing right then, for an instance.

What surprised her most and almost had her drop both the fork which she was currently polishing as well as the pure white tissue she was using was that the person who entered her house was not a relative of hers. A very dirty Vegeta almost flew inside, ridding himself of his sports shoes in the corridor and going straight for the stairs leading to Bulma's room.

"Woman, I'm going to take a shower. If my phone rings, _don't_" he emphasized darkly on the word, "pick it up." And with that he disappeared up the stairs and—surely—a few seconds later she could hear the faint sound of water running in the bathroom adjoining her room.

Smiling broadly to herself, she resumed her polishing with renewed vigor. The fact that the aloof teen had just walked into her home and had taken over as if he had lived there the whole time didn't seem to bother her one bit. She was just happy, so unnaturally even for herself happy, that he had decided to move in with her anyway that she couldn't care less about explaining to her parents that the young man would be a permanent asset to their humble little home from now on.

She thought that maybe, just maybe, there was a God up there and maybe, just maybe, he had no grudges against her.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The night before the final in physics, Bulma had the Mother of All Nightmares visit her in her sleep, making her thrash about in her bed restlessly. The unbearable heat wasn't being any help at all either and, if anything, it only made things worse. She dreamt that her whole world was falling apart and that all her friends forgot about her first thing after they left high school, as if they had never cared about her at all. Bulma wasn't the type of person to get easily upset about dreams—after all, they were just that – dreams.

But this time she had felt the pain of seeing her friends' backs turned to her, their cold and distant demeanor making the skin of her dream self crawl and the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. If it hadn't been for that lasting, disturbing feeling, she wouldn't have thought anything about that sort of stupid reverie.

Thus, she woke with a start, powerless to stop her eyes from watering. However, she quickly gathered her surroundings and managed to push back the ghosts of her tears. Her eyes travelled patiently around her room and her bed which gave signs that, indeed, two people had slept in it not too long ago. Silly she had probably started dreaming of stupid things when Vegeta had got out of bed. She giggled sadly to herself, trying to revert back to her usual self but finding it hard without her boyfriend around to cheer her up. It wasn't as if he was going to be of any real help to her even if he was there, as all he could do was snap and scorn people early in the day as he was definitely not a morning person. But his presence alone would give her some sort of support; lull her into a sense of security even… It was just the effect Vegeta had on people when he wanted to…

But now there was no Vegeta in sight… She had no idea where he had gone and, idiotic though it was even in her own mind, she couldn't help thinking that her nightmare might just come true… Maybe now, when she went to school for her final in physics, there would be no one from her clique there, even though they had all agreed to meet up in front of their assigned room before they entered—a sort of good luck charm.

Just as she was becoming more and more paranoid by the second, a disheveled-looking Vegeta burst inside the room, throwing a new change of clothes on the bed, barely missing her with the pile, a toothbrush stuck in his mouth, protruding funnily from between his lips. He was obviously headed straight for the adjoining bathroom and—as we had already mentioned, not being quite a morning person—didn't notice her until he stepped over the threshold of the bathroom. As if on cue, Bulma looked up with her distressed sapphire eyes to lock her gaze with her boyfriend's calculating onyx orbs as he was poking his head out of the white premise with an impatient glare on his sharp features.

Nursing the brush out of his mouth, he snapped at her, "What are you doing still in bed, woman? I though I told you to wake up when I went to fetch my stuff!" He threw her one of those contempt-filled glares that he could only manage to send her only early in the morning, when he was still slightly uncoordinated and his mind had yet to wake up completely. "I don't want you getting me late. God forbid if I have to hear our homeroom teacher threatening me with disownment again!"

Smiling broadly to herself, Bulma shook her head to herself for being so hasty and emotional. All this graduation thing was starting to get to her head lately and the fact that she was being all touchy-feely about Vegeta moving in with her didn't improve her mental state at all. She was just acting demented right then and there and she knew it.

Swinging her feet over the edge of her bed and sliding her small feet into her comfy slippers, she went after her lover and opened the door to the bathroom to see him just as he had hunched over to spit in the sink some toothpaste. Frankly, he resembled a rabid dog disturbingly a lot, she mused to herself with a giggle, making him pin his attention at her again.

"First, you sleep in, then you barge in on me and plan to take over the bathroom? Well then, I'll be _happy_," he glared at her, urging her to leave the premise, "to inform you that I don't plan on leaving here before I'm done with my morning activities. You'll have to wait in the line if you want the bathroom," he stated as-a-matter-of-factly. She giggled cutely again—he was going to get diabetes from her liveliness at this hour of the day.

"Whatever you say, grumpy," she muttered while hugging him around the torso from behind him.

He growled in irritation at her closeness while he was trying to brush his teeth and finish with his morning rituals. Then they engaged in the usual morning argument to get both of their minds going. It was just their way of telling the other not to fail their dreams and purposes on the upcoming exam later that day…

You can say it was a weird way of saying "good luck"…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

A large part of their tight little circle had gathered in the cozy café across the street from their school right after the physics exam. Most of her friends were chattering the day away carelessly now that the heaviest subject had already passed. They were all excited and talking about the problems included in the exam. She wasn't really into that kind of discussions—either way she always had the right answers and she didn't like to be the one to crush other people's hopes. Besides, even though she was perfect in physics, she was human as well—she could've made a mistake and had shattered someone else's hopes for nothing. Like we already mentioned, discussing answers really wasn't her type of thing…

She scanned the crowd in the café warily while sipping slowly from her hot coffee, her mind not writing off her boyfriend's absence, as well as Goku's, as something as minor as it might have appeared to the others. As she did these simple actions, not drawing any particular attention to herself and her subtle musings, someone stepped in her direct line of view, making her eyes roll up at the person in front of her, expecting to see a stranger. However, her cerulean eyes lit up when she noticed the auburn haired girl she had taken quite an interest in the past few weeks.

"Hailie, hello! What are you doing here in the first place? Aren't you taking an exam or something?" she asked, trying not to sound rude as she shifted over on the small bench so the other girl could sit down.

"Hey yourself," the emerald-eyed girl greeted sleepily, putting a hand to her mouth to stifle a yawn. "I finished with the exam some time ago and I didn't really feel like going home yet…" There was something else she wasn't saying, but Bulma decided not to push it.

"It's rare to see you without Rain. Where is he? Still doing the exam or something?"

"No—he was done before I was. He disappeared in the blink of an eye. I think he had some business with Vegeta, as far as I can remember… Something about skating, if I can recall correctly." The other girl just nodded her lavender head and stared out at the tiny puffy clouds in the sky, floating carelessly over the buzzing stampede of excited high school students swarming out of the school premises for the day. Biting her lip nervously, Hailie started again, collecting Bulma's attention once more; "I wanted to talk to you about something, preferably when the others aren't around…"

Blinking slowly in surprise and taking a glance at ChiChi and Juuhachigou arguing somewhere in the distance about what kind of pastry was best for this occasion, probably, she nodded for her new found friend to continue.

"Vegeta probably never even noticed it in the first place, or cared about it at any point in time, but I wanted to clear things up with you so you don't bear any grudge against me in the future… because I would really like to set things straight before exiting high school and stepping into the real life beyond school walls…" She fidgeted with her fingers in her lap, her gaze boring into them as she continued moving them quickly.

"Sure, whatever is on your mind," said Bulma and smiled slightly at the other girl, who swallowed inaudibly.

"Back then… when we first met… I tried to pull that stunt with 'getting back together with him'… when actually I was still pretty much in love and together with my boyfriend…" She played with her fingers nervously some more. "I didn't really mean that, you know. It was just the spur of the moment kind of thing… That and… I felt a bit jealous of you, who had everything—being rich, beautiful and famous and then you even had Vegeta, who just adored you… Something in me just kicked, and I wanted to have things back as they once were, with just me, Goku, Rain and Vegeta, all together and happy…"

"Things change, Hailie, and so do people…" Bulma said with a weird smile on her full lips. The other occupant of the table chuckled.

"Yes, I'm quite aware of that. Opinions do too and, as important as a first impression is, I don't really think it's all that crucial to a friendship, you know…" She mirrored Bulma's expression, making the other female laugh lightly.

"I guess it's not."

"Besides, now I know that you're worthy of him." The auburn head winked playfully at her. "Someone who can't stand a little competition isn't worthy of being with him, knowing the legions of girls that go everywhere with him, I get this feeling."

"I'm glad that I met your expectations of me." The two of them shared a short laugh. The gang chose that particular moment to join the two, making them exchange a knowing look before discarding the conversation they just had as nothing of utter importance or interest to the guys while they settled around them and started considering what to do with the remaining days…

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Bulma looked around while she sat herself for her last exam, which—ironically—was her second favourite subject – maths. She was great with numbers and any kind of task they could give them, and, besides, she had already studied so much for the exam that if she had to wait another minute she thought she'd strangle someone.

When she had her tasks delivered to her on a small sheet of paper, she couldn't help looking around to see how her friends were coping with the situation. The major part of their exams had already passed and all that was left was this small step towards freedom… temporary though it was.

She caught a peculiar sight of a bare head slightly glinting in the noon sun out of the corner of her eye and she smiled sympathetically at Krillin who was worriedly chewing on the rubber at the end of his pencil. On her other side, she saw a flash of blonde and she turned to see Juuhachigou trying to keep her cool façade while reading her tasks. Right next to her light-haired friend was Goku, who, for once, seemed not to be bothered by an exam. Probably ChiChi's doing, Bulma deduced, instantly sending her eyes to scan over the crowd of bent heads to find the raven-haired one of her childhood best friend. She grinned fondly when she saw ChiChi scribbling furiously already, bent on finishing this exam earlier than her, perhaps. Directly in front of ChiChi was Hailie who looked as if she didn't really feel like doing this kind of a bothersome thing like a maths exam.

Sighing inaudibly, her eyes finally rested on the form of her boyfriend who was on her left. Of all the occupants of the room, he seemed to be the one who looked most bored… His head was resting on his left hand; most of his form was draped over the desk. He was using his draft sheets for his mini-drawings of the gang, probably going for another silly little plot of his. She had learnt with the time that he quite enjoyed himself while he drew. However, he seemed oddly self-conscious of his scribbles and rarely allowed her to take even a glimpse at them before he burnt them away.

Bulma smiled at his profile but he didn't seem to notice. He was too busy killing time before the very last minutes of the exam approached so he could finally start with the problems he had to solve. Giggling to herself, the lavender haired girl wished everyone good luck with getting perfect grades so they could enter the universities that they wanted and began to take care of her own problems in front of her.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Finally—graduation day! I thought this day would _never_ come!" Yamcha exclaimed with his arm draped over a squealing Maron's shoulders.

"Yeah… It seemed so far away when we came here to enroll five years ago…" said ChiChi, trailing off, while she threw a lingering glance at the building she had grown quite fond of—if even despite herself—during all those long years of education.

"There's no need for you to be all doom and gloom, you guys!" Bulma exclaimed while she put on her graduation square-like black hat. "We're almost university freshmen now! A new chapter in our lives is soon to begin with this ceremony through!"

"I can't _believe_ they actually let me graduate!" Maron kept on squealing happily, playing with Yamcha's dress robes, identical to every one else's who was present.

"I can't believe it either… They must have been out of their minds…" Juuhachigou rolled her eyes, refusing to listen anymore to the dumb imbecilic ex-girlfriend of her lover. She could still barely believe that Krillin had gone out with that little slut before asking her out.

"When we first got here I couldn't wait for it to end…" Krillin said to his friends. "Now I almost feel scared of what's awaiting me out there. After all, the world is quite vast…"

"I'm sure we'll fit in as fine as we did here in the real world as well." Bulma grinned happily, a second pair of dress clothes in her arms as well as in ChiChi's.

"Come to think of it, where are Goku and Vegeta? I didn't see them anywhere around here since the start of this…" Yamcha looked around as he asked that. Bulma and ChiChi exchanged a knowing glance, having caught quite a whiff of what was going on in the last few days that their men had been absent almost the whole day around.

"I think we're about to find out." ChiChi smirked as she watched their young principle climbing the small stage that had been created in front of the few classes of seniors.

"You got that right," Hailie agreed as she came out of the crowd to join her famous friends.

First, the principle said a few good words about the accomplishments of the students of their school, praised them for a bit and reminded them not to forget where they come from and that they should be proud of who they were and what they were becoming. Just the usual stuff people say at days like these… Bulma had seen other seniors graduating for four years now but somehow it felt different when she was the one who was graduating as well…

She looked at the underclassmen who were all staring weirdly at the crowd of graduates, admiration somewhere in their eyes and envy perhaps. They still didn't realize how lucky they were, Bulma guessed. Their school was a public school, true, but the people who could enter were carefully picked and thus, making a sort of elite society within the school walls. Such a thing beyond the school's walls was impossible. There were all sorts of filth out there, prowling the streets, working in the companies and teaching and "studying" in the universities… She felt a bit teary at the thought that she would never have to come there again, she would never be able to be with her best friends all day long, she would never be able to gossip about the latest fashion news or what not. Like she had already told them, a new chapter began in their lives now, but also a big chapter ended… She wasn't sure if she even wanted it to…

Gripping Vegeta's robes tightly to her body, she forced a smile even though her facial muscles refused heatedly to cooperate with her. She didn't want to bid her old life good-bye yet, she wasn't ready…!

"But now, before we give you your diplomas and kick you out of our sight," the large group of graduating students laughed carelessly at that, making their charming principle smile charismatically at them, "I think you'd first like to see our infamous delinquent, Vegeta Ouji, and his friends perform a little farewell show for you—and for free!" The sound of the woman's voice pulled Bulma out of her thoughts, especially when all the students, of all years, erupted in applause. Not really sure what she was doing, Bulma put the robes and hat under her arm and pressed them against her body while freeing both her hands so she could clap as well.

"What's going on?" she whispered discreetly in ChiChi's ear.

"Our boyfriends are going to do their last performance as high school skaters!" ChiChi exclaimed excitedly, ecstatic about seeing Goku on his board again. Truth be told, she liked it very much while he skated, although she usually chastised him with the words that it was a dangerous sport and that he could fracture himself for life.

Her sapphire eyes dawning with realization, the lavender head turn to see as a dozen or so skaters appeared practically out of no where with stacks of champagne in the arms of several of them. The second dozen of them were pushing a skating ramp forward so people could see them better. The applause didn't die down and even increased in strength when they caught sight of the main trio—Vegeta, Rain and Goku. The first pair was grinning impishly while Goku was smiling broadly at his fans—mostly girls.

And, as the show unfolded, Bulma saw Vegeta's and Rain's gang finally together, as one, as it had been in the beginning. All of the boys were giving their best; none of them fell throughout the entire performance. They were doing more and more intricate moves, with the Golden Trio in lead. Finally, it was about time for them to end it and everyone did a final trick to finish up.

What Goku and Rain did was utterly impressive but, as Vegeta speeded down the ramp, no one could help but hold their breath in anticipation. He did some sort of flip, kicking the board over his head, engaging in a free fall, or at least what looked like one to everyone. His boys were already off their boards, waiting for him to join them with the bottles of champagne in their hands. Doing a backwards somersault in the air, the flame haired-guy landed on his bent left knee and squatting right leg, right arm supporting his upper body against the hard ground while his left arm remained extended, as did his left arm's fingers. His board seemed to fly after him and he closed his fingers around it right before it could crash.

"You were always one to like flashy endings, Vegeta." Rain laughed to himself as he shook violently the champagne that was in his arms. Slowly, their leader ascended, a large smug grin on his features, his white fangs showing perfectly for the crowd to see, making it clear that his fall had been a part of their plan.

In the exactly next moment, as if on cue, the students exploded in another applauding and yelling fit as everyone got sprayed with the champagne in the skaters' hands.

It took a good amount of time for everyone to calm down and for fifty liters of alcohol to be done with but when it was over, Vegeta saluted the huge group of people and retreated towards the far off wall of the school to rest for a bit before he was called to receive his diploma.

Resting his back against the cold concrete to cool off his heated muscles, he lifted his left knee and rested his arm on it, his right hand firmly on his board that was placed right next to him. He closed his eyes to keep the sweat from making his eyes sting any more than it already had. His breathing was highly laboured and he could barely hear the uproar from the students ahead as they probably crowded around his fellow skaters over the pumping of his blood against his ear drums.

That's how Bulma found him—exhausted, sitting and striving to regain his breathing. She smiled at his form as she approached him. While she had watched him, she had felt something kicking in her chest. Her heart had once again started racing and she knew that she had fallen for him all over again. They had had a hard past together—they had gone through some very trying challenges, they had said many things to each other but she knew it now. Whatever came at her now or any time in the future, she would be able to take it head-on if she knew he was right next to her, holding her hand and assuring her, if just with his presence, that everything would be all right.

She advanced towards him, sitting in front of his bent knee. He looked at her through slightly hazy eyes and she giggled.

"You did that kind of planning all by yourself?" she asked curiously, not breaking eye contact with him for a second. He smirked arrogantly at her. It was that becoming smirk that always called to her when she saw it…

"Forget the planning—you have no clue how hard it is to organize those sniveling buffoons into a real, synchronized group!" He chuckled while he moved his leg out of the way and pulled his girlfriend on his lap. "Do I take that you enjoyed it?"

"You were perfect!" She smiled once more and placed a quick, chaste kiss on his lips. He put an arm on her back, restricting her from pulling too farther away from him.

"I know," he muttered with a smug smirk and kissed her again, this time feverishly, setting those familiar butterflies in her stomach free to roam her insides again, letting that wonderful ticklish feeling get the better of her again.

Before things could get too intimate for such a public place, Bulma put the graduation hat on Vegeta's head, making him pull away in surprise. She grinned devilishly at him and got up, urging him to do so as well.

"Now hurry up, silly. We have to go back to get our diplomas!"

And they did, drowning in the group of strangers and acquaintances in their last day at the familiar school, which provided them a sort of childish security which they could no longer rely on from now on.

_Good-bye old life…_ was the message that the disappearing from sight school building conveyed while the graduates headed for the nearest restaurant.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Vegeta had gone home for a second to return his board and move in the last of his belongings in his and Bulma's new room. He hadn't expected it would be this easy to turn his back to his old way of life… Maybe it was the feeling that the mansion held, the bitterness with which he had moved in there, from the betrayal of his best friends that had an impact on him, restraining him from feeling truly happy…

…Because he knew now how happy he felt. He finally had no regrets; he could finally bury his past within his heart. With the end of school, he was putting an end to the drama that his life had been up till then and he hoped that he could now leave a more normal one, with the woman that he cherished right next to him to remind him he was no longer alone, that he was no longer misunderstood and that he would never again be mistreated.

He sighed heavily. How much people could change… It amazed him that even he, of all people… had become this… _serene_! Sure, he was still the fiery little demon he had been his entire life. But there was a change of his heart and he knew who was responsible for it. He smiled to himself. Things would finally work out for him, he knew…!

'Good-bye old life! Hello, Capsule Corporation!' He almost chuckled at the thought and just as he was capsulizing the last of his belongings, his eye caught a small piece of paper on his desk that he couldn't quite recall leaving there, or possessing in the first place.

With a thoughtful frown, he looked at the odd scribbles that seemed barely familiar yet he couldn't quite read… Still, a phrase fleetingly registered in his mind, oddly, just out of nowhere, as if the message had reached his heart directly, in some alien way that he didn't understand. His tail twitched around his waist hidden beneath his baggy shirt and he threw a glance at the figure at his threshold. He had been about to yell at whoever dared to intrude upon him but his features softened almost immediately upon seeing who it was.

"Oh—it's you." He continued to pocket the capsule and stare at the little piece of paper. "Did you leave this here? What does it mean? I can't read it." Another form appeared from behind the first—yet another familiar face—making Vegeta raise an eye brow. "Er… right… Are we going to keep me from meeting up with the others, or what? I'm in a hurry here."

"So are we," replied the shorter newcomer.

"Right…" Vegeta looked doubtfully at the sheet of paper, powerless to stop the words from running laps in his head although the more logical part of his brain assured him he couldn't read that…!

"I'm sorry about this… Vegeta…" muttered ruefully the figure that had arrived first, making the flame-haired guy's eye brow raise even more.

"What the hell…?"

What he remembered afterwards of the encounter was the only phrase that had occurred in his mind—the thing that he was sure he couldn't read on that piece of paper.

_Long live our prince Vegeta…!_

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The sun had already finished its trip in the sky and was already setting for the day when the gang finally settled down for a restaurant for only their own tight clique.

"I sure hope that I manage to get in that university I studied my ass off for," Juuhachigou said with a thoughtful frown as she drank her shake through the straw they had given her with it.

"I'm certain that all of us will get into the university we wish." ChiChi said happily, feeding Goku with her new recipe for his favourite pudding.

"Let's keep in touch!" The weird-haired boy exclaimed, making ChiChi scorn him for talking with his mouth full.

"The first thing we do once we settle down for the new scholar year will be to call the others to give out coordinates, right?" Krillin smiled broadly while he drank from his beer.

"We all have our cell phone numbers, so it shouldn't be a problem! Now let's drink to the end of the year!" Bulma raised her glass high, but although she had the façade of carelessness, her boyfriends' absence hadn't gone by unnoticed by her.

However she was sure that now that everything had cleared up in the end, they would be fine. She believed him and trusted him. She knew that she could be with him now that they had no secrets between them. Even while they were apart, as right then, she could still feel his presence in her heart… as it was beating for him.

Smiling broadly, she toasted with her friends to the end of a school year, giving a start to their "farewell party".

"Look, it's a shooting star!" Krillin exclaimed as he stared out the window.

The heads around him piled at the window and gasps were heard all around. Bulma smiled at the shooting star, closing her eyes and repeating her wish three times.

_I want everyone to be happy!_

What they didn't know was that she was wishing upon an ominous star… which wasn't even a real star as it exited the atmosphere, instead of entering it, and was nowhere near crumbling any time soon… as a long journey awaited it and its precious cargo.

_I believe we can all make our dreams come true if we just wish hard enough!_

_Good-bye, guys! I hope we all become happy even if our paths should separate…!_

…_Even if our paths should separate…_

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

_THE END_

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

I'm starting to think I'm quite prone to ending stories nastily. It's just like with "Inevitability"—the main idea in the start was to have a sequel.

I want to say so many things at the same time but I'm not quite certain if I would be able to put them into coherent words. I think that with this, I have kept my promise to finish this story. It took me quite a lot of time but I think it was worth it, as, once again, I grew alongside with this story. I'll still probably work on it from time to time as it needs some serious revision as I rarely beta-read it before posting a new chapter. Anyway, thank you all, wonderful, faithful readers who believed in me when I didn't believe in myself! Thank you for being there for me, for supporting me and cheering me on. I'll never forget you and I hope that you come back for the sequel of this story as it will be twice more exciting and, this time, it will have a real plot. Yours sincerely and forever,

Dark Hope Assassin.


End file.
